Angel Reese refuses to budge on an specific issue as the WNBA star wants ‘what we deserve’ as the league and its players continue to negotiate for a proper CBA as time runs out
19:15 ET, 07 Mar 2026Updated 19:15 ET, 07 Mar 2026
Angel Reese reiterated the players’ stance amid the ongoing standoff between the WNBA and its players(Image: Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
Angel Reese reiterated that the players continue to hold out for what they believe is right for them amid negotiations with the WNBA.
The league and its players are embroiled in a fierce standoff over what should be in the next CBA, with the players and the WNBA not seeing eye to eye on the salary cap and a more aggressive revenue-sharing model. The latest deadline is currently set for March 10, with players such as Reese reiterating their stance on the negotiations.
The star’s comments come after Unrivaled experienced a historic night at Barclays Center, with the league reportedly earning $1 million in revenue in just one night.
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“Everybody wants to play but all of us want to play at what we should be compensated for,” she began [h/t Kareem Copeland]. “So we’re just going to continue to negotiate. Negotiation is not easy. I talk to my team all the time, when I negotiate deals, you go back and forth until you come to a common ground of what we both can go for.
“I’m just going to continue to be a voice and do whatever I can as a young voice that knows that I do have a platform in this. … We do all want to play basketball, but at the same time we do want to be compensated for what we deserve.”
This is not the first time Reese has spoken about wanting to be paid commensurate with what she and other players put in. During an episode of her Unapologetically Angel podcast from March 2025, the Chicago Sky explained that if the league does not provide a suitable offer, the players will take the necessary actions.
Angel Reese (L) competed in Unrivaled during the offseason as negotiations with the WNBA continue(Image: Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
“I need to be in the meetings because I’m hearing that if [the league] don’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out,” she said to fellow star DiJonai Carrington. Carrington agreed with her fellow star’s comments, adding: “That’s a possibility, for real.”
It was not only Reese who voiced her thoughts regarding the current state of negotiations between the league and the players. Dallas Wings star and current Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers took a moment to air her frustrations with how slowly negotiations have progressed.
“At this point, it’s not really a negotiation anymore, like both sides are moving, so I feel like we need to continue to have these conversations, continue to actually have change implemented for us to move on our stance, and so we don’t want to, we as players, we don’t want to strike,” she told reporters during the Unrivaled season.
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“We want to have a season. I love playing basketball, that’s all I want to do, but again, there’s things that need to be handled, and we want to do it as professionals.”
WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum also shared that same sentiment, stating that while the two sides continue to negotiate, players ultimately just want to return to the court.
“I want to play, and players want to play,” the WNBPA first vice president said while she played in Unrivaled. “Obviously, we’re going to continue to negotiate and do everything we possibly can to get this done in a timely fashion. But obviously, a strike would be the worst thing for both sides.”
She added: “Because we are in a revenue [share system], so no revenue, no revenue to share.”