WNBA players rue 'wasted' CBA talks with league

INDIANAPOLIS -- The time aft talking with commissioner Cathy Engelbert and ownership representatives, WNBA players present for All-Star play characterized the gathering arsenic a "missed opportunity." But they besides expressed anticipation for much constructive discussions arsenic some parties enactment toward a caller corporate bargaining agreement.

Players spoke with the media Friday astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse pursuing Thursday's gathering that included astatine slightest 40 WNBA players. Last fall, the players' national opted retired of the existent agreement, which went into effect successful 2020, with the anticipation of having a caller CBA successful spot by October.

The WNBA calendar necessitates an statement by past oregon arsenic soon arsenic imaginable afterward, particularly considering the league indispensable behaviour an enlargement draught for caller franchises successful Portland and Toronto for the 2026 season. Last year's enlargement draught for the Golden State Valkyries was successful December.

"We're connected a clip crunch. No 1 wants a lockout," said All-Star squad skipper Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. "But astatine the extremity of the day, we person to basal firm, and we're not going to beryllium moved connected definite topics. So hopefully the league comes backmost rapidly truthful that we tin get person much dialogue, much conversations and tin get the shot rolling."

Union president Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm said she wished the beardown turnout by the players Thursday had produced more.

"This was a precise humanities mode for players to amusement up, and they understood however large the infinitesimal was," Ogwumike said. "We were hoping possibly much would beryllium yielded fixed the engagement. I don't expect america having different gathering with that galore players involved."

Players said 2 areas that some sides seemed to mostly hold connected are household readying and status benefits. But connected immoderate cardinal issues -- gross sharing, wage operation and prioritization -- they are inactive acold apart.

Prioritization means putting the WNBA firmly up of playing successful different leagues, specified arsenic those overseas oregon American-based leagues Unrivaled, which was founded by Collier and the New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, and Athletes Unlimited that are acceptable successful 1 metropolis successful the January-March clip frame. Since the WNBA began successful 1997, it's been communal for players to gain further income playing elsewhere during the WNBA's offseason.

That came to a caput successful the past CBA negotiations, erstwhile the league's owners insisted connected a stricter committedness from players to the WNBA from grooming campy onwards.

The Seattle Storm's Gabby Williams said she thinks the WNBA would similar to propulsion the different leagues speech and get year-round committedness from players for the WNBA, but that the salaries being offered don't enactment that. Collier added that portion she didn't consciousness the WNBA is against leagues specified arsenic Unrivaled, "You can't person exclusivity without paying for it."

The players entered Thursday already a small acrophobic astir the WNBA's deficiency of a punctual effect to the union's offering 5 months ago. In February, the players sent the league an archetypal connection and past a follow-up. The league did not respond to that until June 13.

"We person a spot successful numbers," Stewart said. "[The] gathering was bully for the information that we could beryllium successful the aforesaid country arsenic the league and the Board of Governors and that benignant of thing. But I think, to beryllium frank, it was a wasted opportunity. We could person truly benignant of gotten into a deeper dive of everything.

"Based connected their astir caller proposal, we conscionable aren't capable to get to a spot wherever we're really adjacent talking astir the aforesaid thing. So I deliberation that's the hardest happening -- our archetypal connection and past their antagonistic was, like, achromatic and white."

Stewart's teammate and chap All-Star starter Sabrina Ionescu said determination wasn't capable clip for substantive advancement to beryllium made Thursday, but she wasn't discouraged.

"[We were] capable to perceive to Cathy and her squad connected however they evidently privation the champion for america arsenic well, and trying to benignant of beryllium capable to fig retired what that is," said Ionescu, who was a elder astatine Oregon erstwhile the past CBA was signed. "Obviously, they privation to win conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic we do, similar we are trying to find a mediate crushed to wherever some parties are happy."

The players said the acquisition of national president Nneka Ogwumike, who was successful the aforesaid relation for the 2020 CBA, is simply a bonus. She and national enforcement manager Terri Jackson and Engelbert, who took implicit arsenic commissioner successful the summertime of 2019, each person done this before.

However, the league's fiscal footprint has changed a batch since 2019. Golden State became the WNBA's13th squad this year, and the league volition grow to 18 teams by 2030. The valuation of franchises has skyrocketed since 2019, and the league has signed a caller tv rights deal.

That's wherefore gross sharing is specified a cardinal constituent of accent for the players.

"Rev sharing is genuinely transformational," Los Angeles Sparks defender Kelsey Plum said. "We privation a portion of the full pie. Not a portion of portion of the pie. We're a resilient group. We cognize the unity it takes to beryllium capable to [get] the result desired."

Liberty defender Natasha Cloud said portion she doesn't uncertainty the sincerity of some sides to scope agreement, it indispensable beryllium understood that for the intent of negotiations, they are adversaries.

"We're not going to beryllium holding hands done the CBA," she said. "We're warring for what we're due, what we're worth, our value. They're going to beryllium warring for what they deliberation protects the business. Our occupation is to find the communal ground. But that doesn't mean we support taking the crumbs of the pie."

ESPN's Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou contributed to this report.