Collier respectfully disagrees. “We could not go hard in that game because you’re adding another game to our already packed season where people are dropping flies,” she responds, pointing out the injuries that plagued so many players ahead of the supposed All-Star “break,” including Sabally and Clark, who had to bow out after earning their spots.
Just days ahead of the CBA deadline on October 31, a WNBA spokesperson told Glamour that the league “agrees with the players” regarding salary and revenue increases, though they did not go into specifics.
“As the WNBA has stated repeatedly, we agree with the players that they deserve to be paid more and, importantly, to participate in the success and growth of the league by sharing in revenue,” the rep said in a statement. “The comprehensive proposal we provided to the Players Association includes both significant guaranteed salary cap increases and substantial uncapped revenue sharing that enables player salaries to grow as the league’s business grows.”
Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the WNBPA, tells Glamour that talks are ongoing. “Our player leadership remains focused on meaningful progress,” Jackson says. “Whether a deal is reached by the deadline remains to be seen, but we’re prepared to keep doing the work until it is right. We’ll keep pushing until this league finally reflects the value of the women who make it run.”
By the end of the season, one of the biggest conversations regarding the WNBA revolved around what many saw as inconsistent officiating, which can arguably result in mixed messages about what level of physicality is allowed on the court. And yet if a player spoke up about it—or made a joke on social media—they’d be slapped with a fine from the league.
Hull seemed perplexed by this as an alarming number of season-ending injuries continued to pile up, sidelining five of her own Indiana Fever teammates before their unexpected—and frankly remarkable—playoff run. “We’re getting fined for saying things,” Hull tells me, while still healing from two black eyes from heavy on-court contact in mid-September. “Are [the referees] getting fined for making the wrong call?”