Today, it’s March 5, 2026. And we are just five days away from an arbitrary deadline for the WNBA and the WNBPA players union to agree on a collective bargaining agreement. If there is no agreement by that time, then it is likely that there will be a delay in the season. Or at worst, there may be no season at all.
First, there’s a reason why I haven’t been writing posts every day about every counter proposal the WNBA or the WNBPA makes to the other side. Unless there’s an actual agreement or an imminent
work stoppage, then it’s just another ho hum part of the negotiating process.
Yesterday, Alexa Phillipou of ESPN wrote an update that the WNBPA is rejecting the latest proposal from the WNBA. It also came with a statement written by the WNBPA’s executive committee.
In addition, the WNBPA also posted on social media what may have been the most recent proposal from the WNBA where the league proposed 50 percent net revenue, which would translate into 15 percent of gross revenue. The WNBPA has been fighting for at least 25 percent gross revenue. Most respondents to the survey want the union to keep negotiating.
Ultimately, what we’re seeing is that the WNBA is willing to give higher numerical salary caps but is hesitant to give a higher portion of revenue to the players. the WNBPA on the other hand expects higher salary caps of course but is fighting very hard for guaranteed revenue sharing. In fact, the league was originally unwilling to give any split. The WNBPA is also trying to sway public opinion with league players being outspoken on social media, interviews, etc. The league on the other hand, has been quiet from this perspective.
I’m not confident that the WNBA and the WNBPA will reach an agreement before Mar. 10. The league is hoping to raise the salary cap incrementally while the players want the larger revenue share percentage split. So I’m anticipating a delay this season because both sides are not seeing eye to eye on a revenue share split with the WNBA not willing to give anything more than salary cap increases, a completely different matter.
Do I see a work stoppage in the form of a strike by the players or a lockout by the owners? To this point, the players have only AUTHORIZED union leadership to call a strike. But the owners to this point have not wanted to lock out the players. Teams have consistently marketed players despite the tough negotiations. But after Mar. 10, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the league lock out the players before the players can do a strike. After all, if the players have threatened a strike to this point, maybe the owners force their hand by locking them out (and some fans will still mistakenly call this as WNBA players being on strike).
How much longer do you see these negotiations going? Do you think a strike or lockout will still happen? Let us know in the comments below.
