The WNBA and the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) will convene on Monday at 2 p.m. ET. This meeting aims to negotiate details regarding the upcoming collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The current CBA expired earlier this year, and both parties have limited time, with less than 100 days remaining before the 2026 season begins. <\/p>\n
Negotiation Background<\/p>\n
Following the expiration of the CBA, the league and the players\u2019 union implemented a free-agency moratorium in January. Although there have been smaller informal discussions since then, Monday\u2019s gathering marks the first formal meeting involving team owners, league representatives, and the players since December.\n<\/p>\n
Meeting Participants<\/p>\n
Nneka Ogwumike, WNBPA President
\nKelsey Plum, First Vice President
\nNapheesa Collier, Vice President<\/p>\n
A source involved in the negotiations mentioned that the players had a strategy call earlier this week. The call aimed to address concerns over the stalled negotiations, particularly given the league\u2019s lack of response to the players\u2019 last proposal submitted in December.\n<\/p>\n
Key Issues in Negotiations<\/p>\n
The central issues at stake involve the players\u2019 salary structure and the revenue-sharing model. The league has proposed a system in which expenses will be deducted from revenue before players receive their share. Conversely, the players have advocated for a model where revenue is divided prior to expenses being accounted for.\n<\/p>\n
Revenue Sharing Proposals<\/p>\n
Both parties agree that any new CBA should not include revenue targets necessary for sharing to commence and should be uncapped. The WNBA\u2019s recent proposal suggests an average salary of $530,000 for the first year, with a maximum salary reaching $1.3 million. In contrast, the players\u2019 latest proposal states an average salary of over $800,000. <\/p>\n
Future Considerations<\/p>\n
Upon finalizing the CBA, the WNBA will have further critical tasks, including an expansion draft for Toronto and Portland, as well as free agency featuring more than 100 unrestricted free agents. The league has already scheduled the college draft for April 13 and the season opener for May 8.\n<\/p>\n
Historical Context<\/p>\n
Notably, throughout its 30-year existence, the WNBA has never experienced a work stoppage. In comparison, the NHL had a nearly four-month lockout in 2013, and the NBA underwent a 161-day lockout in 2011, which shortened the season to 66 games. The WNBA\u2019s commitment to continuous play highlights its dedication to maintaining a stable environment for athletes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The WNBA and the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) will convene on Monday at 2 p.m. ET.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440079,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[27410,12548,21948,23600,207535,3,4697,99,1596,15557,207534,434],"class_list":["post-440078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-athletic","tag-cba","tag-details","tag-monday","tag-negotiate","tag-news","tag-players","tag-sports","tag-the","tag-union","tag-unite","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}