WNBPA Executive Committee Reaffirms Stance in CBA Negotiations
The WNBPA’s seven-player executive committee issued a statement on Wednesday, reiterating its unity and noting that a recent survey among players confirms that the league’s current proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement “is not worth accepting.”The statement comes at a crucial moment, less than a week before the March 10 deadline set by the league to finalize the terms of a new CBA. The 2026 regular season is scheduled to begin on May 8, but before that, the league must hold the college draft (scheduled for April 13), an expansion draft for two teams, and free agency for more than 100 players. Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart, members of the WNBPA executive committee, sent a three-page letter to the executive director of the players’ union, Terri Jackson, expressing “serious concerns about how the PA is handling the current negotiations” for a new CBA, “including the lack of adequate player involvement in the process.” In the statement, the executive committee emphasized its commitment: “Despite our differences and difficult moments, we must make it very clear that we are focused, we are determined, and we are together. We want to play basketball in 2026. We want to be in front of our fans playing the game we love. We will not stop fighting. There is no WNBA without the players.” Breanna Stewart stated that the letter was not meant to be public. “This is a letter that was for Terri and for the EC, so that we can really have a conversation and stand firm on all the things we are negotiating, and I think we are,” she said. “We remain united and understanding why we are fighting and that is the message we had on our [executive committee] call last night… Our main goal is to make sure we have the best possible deal for all the players.” The union also announced the results of a survey of the players, in which they were asked if they “would accept the league’s proposal of ‘50% of net revenue’, which is less than 15% of gross revenue in an eight-year agreement, or would ask the union to continue negotiating”. The union’s social media post revealed that 84% of the players responded that they “would not accept 15% and want the union to continue negotiating”, although the number of respondents was not specified. Alysha Clark, vice president of the WNBPA, commented on the survey: “We are at a point where we feel that the proposals the league has sent have not been good. And we want to continue fighting for what we know we deserve. We hope that at some point the league decides to have the same feeling towards us as well through the proposals they send.” The union’s Wednesday statement also referenced the WNBPA players’ vote in December, which authorized the executive committee to call a strike “when necessary”.“In every CBA negotiation, the league and the teams’ goal is to divide the players,” reads the statement, signed by the entire seven-player executive committee. “These negotiations are no different. We remain united and focused on delivering a transformative CBA for all members of this union, and we are committed to negotiating for as long as necessary.”
WNBPA Executive Committee
Clark added: “As a union, we are going to use every tool in our toolbox to be able to fight and get what we know we deserve. So it’s still very much on the table, and that’s something I think is clear as we continue to have these conversations with our union and the league’s players.” The union held a call with its players on Tuesday night to address the issues raised by Stewart and Plum, as well as the results of the survey, according to sources. It’s unclear whether the rest of the seven-player executive committee agrees with Plum and Stewart’s feelings about the WNBPA’s leadership or if they were informed before the letter was sent. Lexie Brown, one of the veteran players under contract in the league, wrote in a post that “we (the players who decided to participate in the calls) speak with the PA and they update us frequently” and that “I am extremely well informed and prepared for any situation that arises from these negotiations”.“[That decision was] made with complete faith and trust in ourselves and in our negotiating committee, led by Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and President Nneka Ogwumike, to represent all players as we work to build a W that truly puts players first. Nothing has changed.”
WNBPA Statement
