The WNBA and players’ union were unable to reach a deal after a marathon session for a new collective bargaining agreement stretched overnight, according to multiple reports.
The sides have been in a virtual stalemate for several months, with only slight budging on either side. But after the league imposed a stricter deadline Tuesday to avoid delaying the start of the WNBA season, key stakeholders met in New York for nearly 10 hours.
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League commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who left after 5 a.m. ET, told reporters outside the hotel meeting, “It’s complex. We’re working towards a win-win deal like we’ve been saying, a transformational deal for these players that balances all the things we’ve been trying to balance with continued investment by our owners. So we’re working hard towards that, and we still have work to do.”
WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson described the talks as moving “in the right direction” and said they would continue, according to reports.
Two weeks ago, the WNBA set a March 10 deadline for negotiations so the 2026 season would not be impacted. The deadline factored in a preseason schedule that needs to include free agency, an expansion draft and a college draft before the beginning of training camp on April 19 and the season tip-off on May 8.
The overnight negotiating meeting reportedly included WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike and other committee player members Breanna Stewart, Bri Turner and Alysha Clark, as well as Engelbert, New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai and head of league operations Bethany Donaphin.
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The wedge issue of the negotiating process has been centered on revenue share, with the provision of league housing also emerging as a key issue for the players after the WNBA had submitted a proposal that eliminated team housing from player benefits.
Since the institution of the deadline, the pace of negotiations between the two sides has quickened. The players sent a proposal to the league on Feb. 27 that reduced its gross revenue share ask to 26 percent. The league responded on March 1, and the two parties traded proposals again this past weekend.
The protracted nature of the bargaining process introduced some strain recently. Stewart and Kelsey Plum, both members of the WNBPA executive committee, reportedly wrote a letter to Jackson outlining concerns with the state of the negotiations, including a lack of clarity about their roles and a lack of transparency about league proposals. A group of player agents previously sent a letter to union leadership expressing similar concerns about communication.
The rush of activity comes in stark contrast to the apparent lack of urgency during the prior months. The league waited more than six weeks before replying to a union proposal delivered on Dec. 25, during which time the second extension to the CBA expired, and the WNBA entered a period of status quo.
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The CBA originally expired on Oct. 31, 2025. The players had opted out in October 2024, giving the league and union nearly a year to come to a new deal, but little progress was made before the first 30-day extension.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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