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Basketball looked different when Deb Willig was playing it in the 1960s. Teams had six players on the court at a time. At Lower Merion<\/a> High School, Willig was a \u201crover\u201d who would cover the entire length of the court. She did so wearing a skirt, not shorts.<\/p>\n But some injustices endured. The future labor lawyer continued her athletic career at Penn in 1968 and quickly realized her team would be treated as an afterthought.<\/p>\n There were wide disparities in resources. Willig said the men traveled on motor coaches while she and her teammates were in a school bus without heat. The men played at the Palestra; the women were relegated to an \u201cold, run-down gym that probably doesn\u2019t exist anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Even still, the Bala Cynwyd<\/a> native, who was hired as the WNBA player association\u2019s outside special counsel in 2024, was surprised by the conditions the women faced. What seemed to her like basic amenities \u2014 security at practices and games, for example \u2014 was not universally provided. The Inquirer reached out to the WNBA for comment on this article, but did not get a response.<\/p>\n Some of the gyms WNBA<\/a> players practiced in didn\u2019t have private locker rooms or even a full-sized basketball court. There was no standard for how many physical therapists, massage therapists, or athletic trainers a team should have.<\/p>\n \u201cI just kept going, \u2018SMFH,\u2019 in my head,\u201d Willig said. \u201cIt was really astonishing.\u201d<\/p>\n Willig, 76, played a big role in changing that. With her leading collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the women gained a 367% increase in salary when a new agreement was ratified<\/a> on March 24, the biggest jump from CBA to CBA in professional sports history.<\/p>\n But figures around the union say her impact went beyond the numbers. Vice president Alysha Clark, who recently signed with the Dallas Wings, described Willig as a no-nonsense negotiator, unafraid to confront a room full of WNBA staff, many of whom also worked for the NBA.<\/p>\n Her bluntness rubbed off on the players, who insist that a deal couldn\u2019t have been struck without Willig.<\/p>\n \u201cFor her to come in and just be like, \u2018I\u2019m not scared. What you guys are doing is undervaluing these women, and you know it, and I\u2019m gonna make sure that you know it,\u2019\u201d Clark said. \u201cIt gave us a boost of confidence. It was like, \u2018Hell yeah, Deb. Tell her. Hell yeah, Deb!\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n \u2018She\u2019s that girl\u2019 <\/p>\n In the fall of 2023, Terri Carmichael Jackson, the executive director of the WNBPA<\/a>, began assessing her organization\u2019s resources. Throughout previous CBA negotiations, they\u2019d leaned on the legal team of the National Basketball Players Association, because the group didn\u2019t have dedicated staffing in place.<\/p>\n But this fight would be different. The league was growing at a rapid pace, giving the union as good an opportunity as ever to improve the livelihoods of its athletes. For the first time, they had the funding to retain outside counsel, one dedicated to them.<\/p>\n So, that\u2019s what Jackson set out to do. She began consulting fellow player associations to see what law firms they liked. Willig, Williams & Davidson, a union-side labor law firm based in Philadelphia, made the short list.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Philly\u2019s WNBA team has been approved by WNBA and NBA Board of Governors<\/a><\/p>\n Meghann Burke, the executive director of the NWSL\u2019s union, recommended Willig specifically. The Penn graduate had worked with the soccer players throughout their CBA negotiations in 2021 and 2022 and had endearingly become known as \u201ctheir badass lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take long for WNBA players to feel the same way. Union leadership began to jump on Zooms with different firms to get a sense of how they\u2019d approach the upcoming negotiations with the league.<\/p>\n Willig quickly separated herself. She and her firm\u2019s partner, Jessica Caggiano, pointed out obvious areas to focus on \u2014 like salary and facilities \u2014 but also suggested provisions around parental leave, retirement benefits, and family planning.<\/p>\n And then there was Willig\u2019s tone, which Jackson described as \u201cstraightforward\u201d and \u201cno [expletive].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was their person,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI think they appreciated the fire she brought. And particularly for those that were in the room, they could see how we played off of each other and how it was a good balance. <\/p>\n \u201c[The players] knew me for years. Terri doesn\u2019t take any [expletive]. and she\u2019s gonna let you know she doesn\u2019t take any [expletive]. And then there\u2019s Deb, who just slices right through it with an ax.\u201d<\/p>\n Added Clark: \u201cShe was very matter-of-fact. And was just like, \u2018You guys deserve more. This is B.S. But I\u2019m gonna be here, 10 toes down.\u2019 The confidence she exuded was palatable. You were just like, \u2018Oh, she means business. We aight. She\u2019s that girl.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Willig joined as outside special counsel in December 2024. She immediately was struck by the \u201ccondescending and disrespectful\u201d tone with which the WNBA spoke to the union.<\/p>\n \u201cTone-deaf,\u201d Willig said. \u201cI mean, I have negotiated contracts for the white-collar workers of the city since 1978, for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers since 1983. I\u2019ve negotiated contracts for steelworkers at Merck for 15 years. For Teamsters. Lots of stuff. <\/p>\n \u201cThe people on the other side were tone-deaf and very condescending. \u2018You don\u2019t understand the business,\u2019 we heard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think the league seriously underestimated the intelligence and resolve of the players,\u201d she added. \u201cNo question in my mind about that. Never thought they\u2019d go on strike. Thought they would cave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Kahleah Copper shares North Philly with Unrivaled teammates<\/a><\/p>\n In player-leadership meetings over Zoom after the bargaining sessions, Willig would relay the league\u2019s proposals. The WNBA wanted to share net revenue, and the players wanted gross revenue (which would include a cut of merchandise, a media deal, and more).<\/p>\n The league also proposed shaving 80% or 70% off the top for expenses but wouldn\u2019t let the union fully audit them. It proposed splitting the remaining cut; so if the expense fee was 70%, for example, the players would receive 15% gross revenue.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t fly (they ended up settling on 20% of gross revenue, with more transparent accounting).<\/p>\n Another big issue was housing. Since the league\u2019s first CBA in 1999, teams had provided housing for their players, or at minimum, a housing stipend. But on Day 1, Willig said the WNBA proposed eliminating it immediately and held that stance for 14 months.<\/p>\n Their argument, according to Willig, was that with increased salaries, players could afford their own housing. But to many, this was a benefit that transcended money. It helped players \u2014 especially those on the periphery \u2014 navigate uncertainties like roster cuts and trades.<\/p>\n Jackson said that it became a rallying cry for the union. More and more players started showing up to meetings. Many viewed the WNBA\u2019s approach as \u201ccallous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat didn\u2019t feel good, I will tell you,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cMost of the players did recognize how negotiations go. On that issue? It did not feel good. It felt like they had no consideration for their safety and security.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd for developmental players? You\u2019re actually putting them in a position where they are paying to be in this league. Why would we agree to that? Who would agree to that?\u201d<\/p>\n (The parties decided on providing housing for all players over the first three years of the agreement, after which the benefit is phased out, depending on how much a player made.)<\/p>\n There were other squabbles. The league historically left it to the teams to decide whether they\u2019d have security personnel at games and practices; some teams simply used a member of the traveling party to fill this role.<\/p>\n Jackson and Willig proposed mandating two; they settled on one per team.<\/p>\n The union made significant gains for future and current retirees, getting a 401(k) match of up to 140% of a player\u2019s deferral (it was a 25% match under the 2020 CBA). They also asked for $1,500 in a Health Reimbursement Arrangement for retired players without health insurance to use for routine exams.<\/p>\n The league instead proposed running medical testing in a tent at the All-Star Game. This, too, was deemed unacceptable.<\/p>\n \u201cA union staff member [Jayne Appel Marinelli] who is a former player asked, \u2018How do you propose they get there? Will you pay for their travel?\u2019\u201d Willig said. \u201cAnd the league was speechless.\u201d<\/p>\n (Retired players will now get $1,250 toward medical testing and needs via an HRA.)<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Takeaways from the WNBA draft<\/a><\/p>\n The players appreciated Willig\u2019s advocacy but also her candor. She would clearly relay the WNBA\u2019s messaging \u2014 without the legalese \u2014 and would give her unabashed opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for us, it was more affirming,\u201d Clark said. \u201cBecause, as players, we know and we feel that they think we\u2019re dumb. They think we don\u2019t know or understand, just in the way that they were talking, to Deb\u2019s point, being very patronizing. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, for her to come in and be like, \u2018They don\u2019t respect you guys.\u2019 It was like, \u2018OK, boom. That affirms what we\u2019re feeling.\u2019 Because we felt that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018This is life-changing\u2019 <\/p>\n A tentativedeal finally was struck on March 18. The new document covered territory it hadn\u2019t in the past.<\/p>\n There would be family rooms, family planning benefits, and parental leave. Players would be reimbursed for mental health services, as well as a second opinion of a team doctor\u2019s diagnosis.<\/p>\n There now were minimum standards around the number of physical therapists, massage therapists, and athletic trainers. The women would no longer be practicing in community centers with public gyms and locker rooms.<\/p>\n A veteran thinking about the next stage of their career could now access a player program fund to pursue it. A rookie supporting their extended family on less than $70,000 in 2025 would now be making at least $200,000 more.<\/p>\n