Basketball Bargaining: Players and League Work Toward a Deal

In Midtown, the WNBA and its players’ union kept talks going late into a third day to avoid delaying the league’s 30th season. After an earlier 12‑hour meeting that ended at dawn without agreement, both sides returned to the Langham Hotel for more talks. Players Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Brianna Turner and Alysha Clark met with union staff; league officials including Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and owner Clara Wu Tsai were present, and Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti joined the table. The union’s executive director, Terri Carmichael Jackson, stayed on to negotiate until just after 1 a. m. , when talks paused.No final deal emerged, but negotiators said progress was evident. Ogwumike remarked that the players were “feeling movement” and staying true to their process. Eight proposals had been exchanged by the third day, but key issues like revenue sharing and player housing remained hot topics. The league’s latest offer included a $6. 2 million salary cap and about 70 % of net revenue for players, with a 20 % supermax salary that could push the average pay lower than earlier estimates. The players focused on securing a timely season. They emphasized that each hour of negotiation strengthens their collective voice and clarifies what they need: a chance to play. They also noted that any agreement must be approved by the league’s board of governors and a majority of voting players before it can take effect. Once ratified, the league would move on to expansion drafts for new teams and schedule the regular season to start on May 8, with training camp just weeks away. The urgency was clear: the players and league need to finalize terms quickly to keep the season on track.