Adam Silver Confident in New WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has expressed his confidence that a new collective bargaining agreement will be reached with the WNBA players. However, he acknowledged the need to address and resolve the existing problems in the relationship between the league and the athletes, following recent criticism directed at Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. These tensions reached their peak last week, when Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier declared that the league has “the worst leadership in the world.” This situation threatened to overshadow the WNBA Finals between Las Vegas and Phoenix, which began shortly after.Engelbert has also stated that a new agreement will be reached, although not necessarily before the October 31 deadline. Negotiators from the league and the players’ association were expected to meet during the week. The players are seeking significant changes following the enormous growth of the WNBA in recent seasons, and some have expressed their frustration with Engelbert, although not with the same force as Collier, who was runner-up for the league’s MVP.There’s no question that the WNBA is experiencing growing pains, and it’s unfortunate that this is happening right when their most important games and Finals are underway. We’ve had two fantastic games so far, and we want to celebrate the game right now, and then we have to sit down with the players and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
Adam Silver
Silver made these statements at NBC Sports headquarters, where the network’s return to broadcasting the league this season was discussed. NBC will also televise the WNBA Finals in 2026. Derek Fisher, former Lakers player and former president of the NBA Basketball Players Association in 2011, when the league and the union failed to reach an agreement in time, which reduced the season to 66 games, commented that it is unusual to see someone express themselves as Collier did during the negotiations, but he understood the reason. Fisher, who was also a coach in the WNBA and will be one of NBC’s analysts for the NBA coverage, said:Cathy Engelbert has presided over historic growth in the league, but there is no doubt that there are problems that we must address with our players, not just economic ones. There are also relationship problems. I am confident that we can solve them over time and that this league can continue on the upward trajectory it has at the moment.
Adam Silver
Silver insisted they would reach an agreement.It’s not the norm, but those were the feelings many times. Whenever you’re in the heat of high-stakes negotiations, conversations, and discussions, sometimes it gets to the level of distrust, misunderstandings due to miscommunication. But ultimately, until an agreement is reached, there’s a very adversarial nature until you come back together.
Derek Fisher
Fisher believes that WNBA players feel they haven’t been valued enough and that there is a disconnect with the league’s administration. Fisher added:We will reach an agreement with the players. There is much work to be done, but of course, we will obtain a new collective bargaining agreement.
Adam Silver
I think the W could have been at this point earlier. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese somehow reaccelerated the growth, but this league has always been a special league. And I think the players are just saying that we can’t allow some of the things that have taken place in our 27-year history. We don’t want to leave the girls of the next 20 years in the position we were in when we had no influence.
Derek Fisher
