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The WNBA’s collective bargaining session in New York ended Monday with league assurances that it will respond in the coming days to the union’s now five-week-old request for a 30% revenue-share split, sources told SBJ.
But while there were new faces in the room — such as former player-turned-Seattle Storm co-owner Sue Bird and Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia via Zoom — and a spirited plea to retain league-funded player housing, consensus was the two sides moved no closer to an agreement during the critical three-hour meeting.
With the season opener now 97 days away, sources said the league explained to the WNBPA on Monday why it had not immediately answered the union’s request in December for a 30% revenue share and $10M-plus salary cap — purportedly because the WNBA (which has already proposed a max salary of over $1.3M and average salary of $530,000 in 2026) believed the union offer was not disparate from previous ones.
But while numbers related to revenues and costs were eventually discussed Monday –with productive dialogue that sources considered “very helpful” — there were no proposals or counterproposals presented at all.
Instead, the active players who were present — Nneka Ogwumike, Brianna Turner, Alysha Clark and Stefanie Dolson in person and over 40 players through Zoom — reaffirmed their preference to retain the leaguewide housing benefit (where teams pay for residences or provide a stipend) and reiterated a request for improved facilities and “minimum standards.”
Two players who had planned to attend, Kelsey Plum and Napheesa Collier, were unable to arrive from Miami (where they were playing for Unrivaled) due to travel complications.
As for the league, the other new faces at the table — besides Bird and Ishbia — were Liberty governor Clara Wu Tsai, Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder and Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti. Sources said the one of the main priorities of the meeting, in fact, was to connect the owners in person with the players, presumably to reverse recent acrimony.
Bird’s appearance particularly struck the union as ironic considering she was part of negotiations six years ago as a player. But now, as a Storm co-owner and managing director of the USA Women’s National Team, she has unique ties to both sides.
It was unclear when the bargaining sessions will resume, although multiple sources thought it would be sooner than later.
