In her exit interview on September 28, Minnesota Lynx player and Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) Vice President, Napheesa Collier, made several statements regarding commissioner Cathy Engelbert, saying that the WNBA has the “worst leadership in the world.”[1] Collier also made statements criticizing the league’s officiating and the WNBA’s approach to the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations.
Soon after, several WNBA players came to Collier’s support online, praising her for her outspokenness. Players like Dijonai Carrington, Kayla McBride, Dearica Hamby, and Isabelle Harrison took to Instagram and X to share Collier’s statements, thanking her for speaking out and for her “bravery.”[2] Angel Reese, who has been outspoken in her criticism of the WNBA, showed her support for Collier with a post on X stating, “10/10. No notes!”[3]
With the current WNBA CBA expiring at the end of October, the WNBA and WNBPA are in negotiations for a new agreement. One central point of negotiation is player salary increases. The current maximum salary is $250,000, and the WNBPA is asking the league to implement a “revenue-sharing system that does not have a fixed component.”[4] With the $250,000 salary cap, players argue that while the WNBA is booming, they aren’t benefiting from that growth. The proposed revenue-sharing system would allow players to benefit from the WNBA’s success.
While there are other issues of negotiation in the new CBA, including player safety and maternity protections, players have stated they will not agree to a deal that does not increase player compensation.[5]
With tensions rising between the WNBA and WNBPA in CBA negotiations, there are concerns regarding a work stoppage in the WNBA. This isn’t the first time the WNBA has faced a potential work stoppage. In 2002, as the WNBA and WNBPA negotiated their second CBA, players pushed for an agreement that would “help them create a more professional experience.”[6] The negotiations were so heated that David Stern, then-NBA commissioner, set a deadline a month before the season start date, threatening to cancel the 2003 season if a deal was not met.[7] Additionally, work stoppages as a result of labor disputes have been seen in several other professional sports, such as Major League Baseball’s 1994-95 strike and the National Hockey League’s lost 2004-05 season.[8]
Although the WNBA postseason has concluded with the Las Vegas Aces winning the championship, with the expiration of the current CBA looming, will the negotiations conclude in a new CBA that benefits both parties? Or will failed negotiations impact the 2025-26 season?
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6677183/2025/09/30/napheesa-collier-lynx-cathy-engelbert-wnba-leadership/
[2] https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/wnba-players-back-napheesa-collier-after-she-calls-out-cathy-engelbert-and-the-league-1010-no-notes/
[3]https://x.com/Reese10Angel/status/1973097703430119755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1973097703430119755%7Ctwgr%5E6010dd3deea5be8af278d9005d1106ab946fedfa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fwnba%2Fnews%2Fwnba-players-back-napheesa-collier-after-she-calls-out-cathy-engelbert-and-the-league-1010-no-notes%2F
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6677805/2025/09/30/wnba-cba-negotiations-stalling/
[5] Id.
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6681274/2025/10/02/wnba-cba-work-stoppage-union-labor/
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
Leave a Reply