Silver Confirms WNBA CBA Agreement: Tensions and Growth in the Women’s League

Adam Silver Confirms Collective Bargaining Agreement with WNBA Players, Acknowledging Challenges

STAMFORD, Conn. – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that a new collective bargaining agreement will be reached with the WNBA players, although he acknowledged the need to address and repair existing tensions following recent criticism of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. These tensions reached a boiling point last week, when Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier expressed that the league has the “worst leadership in the world.” These statements threatened to overshadow the WNBA Finals between Las Vegas and Phoenix, which began days later.

There is no doubt that the WNBA is experiencing difficulties in its growth, and it is unfortunate that this is happening right when its most important games and the Finals are underway. We have had two fantastic games so far, and we want to celebrate the game at this moment, and then we will have to sit down with the players and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

Adam Silver

Engelbert has also expressed his confidence that a new agreement will be reached, although not necessarily before the October 31 deadline. Negotiators from the league and the players’ association are expected to meet soon. 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 vehemence as Collier, who was the league’s MVP runner-up.

Cathy Engelbert has presided over historic growth in the league, but there is no doubt that there are issues we must address with our players, not just economic ones. There are also relationship issues. I am confident that we can solve those problems over time and that this league can continue on the upward trajectory it is currently on.

Adam Silver

Silver made these statements at the NBC Sports headquarters, within the framework of the league’s broadcast this season, including the WNBA Finals in 2026. Derek Fisher, former Lakers player and former president of the National 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 due to a lockout, commented that it is unusual to see someone express themselves as Collier did during the negotiations, but he understood the reason.

It’s not the norm, but those were the feelings many times. Whenever you’re in the heat of high-stakes negotiations and conversations, sometimes it gets to the level of distrust, misunderstandings due to poor communication. But, ultimately, until an agreement is reached, there’s a very adversarial nature until it comes back together.

Derek Fisher

Silver insisted that an agreement will be reached.

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

Fisher intuits that WNBA players feel they haven’t been valued enough and that there is a disconnect with the league’s management. Fisher said the WNBA could have reached this point sooner. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have re-accelerated growth, but this league has always been special. 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.