SPEAKING to the media ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis on Saturday, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert opened by speaking of the boom in popularity the league is enjoying.
But the topic most people wanted to hear about was the ongoing negotiations between the league and the players for a new collective bargaining agreement. And it became clear the league and the players have a very different view on the current state of those negotiations.
“We had a productive meeting on Thursday with the WNBA (Players Association) and the players,” Engelbert said. “We’re engaged in constructive conversations. I remain confident we’ll reach a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement), one that’s transformational for the teams, players and owners for the future of our league.”
And then the All-Star players took the court for pregame warm-ups wearing T-shirts reading, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”
Following in-person negotiations between both sides on Thursday, players expressed disappointment that more progress was not made at the bargaining table.
“I think (Thursday’s) meeting was good for the fact that we could be in the same room as the league and the Board of Governors,” said Liberty star Breanna Stewart, a union vice president. “But, I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity.”
The dispute began when the players union announced after the 2024 season that they would opt out of the CBA on Oct. 31, 2025. — Reuters
