The WNBA and WNBPA (hereon the players) are currently negotiation a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The deadline is this Friday, Oct. 31. After that date, it’s unclear whether negotiations will continue without a set CBA or if there will be a work stoppage. The owners could lock out the players or the players could go on strike. The former seemed more likely until recently.
Yesterday, Alexa Philippou of ESPN wrote that the WNBA offered a 30-day extension on negotiations. It’s unclear whether
the players will accept it. At least this much is clear. The owners do not want to lock the players out, at least not yet.
As for the players, Philippou wrote that they are willing to take the extension, but they must be “under the right circumstances,” per a source in her piece.
It is not uncommon for the WNBA and the players to extend CBA negotiations. This is due to precedent and the fact that a lockout or strike has never happened before. Since the WNBA Draft won’t happen until at least April 2026, and that the Draft Lottery and Expansion Draft won’t happen until at least last fall, it wouldn’t surprise me to see these negotiations move on through the rest of the 2025 calendar year.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
