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The WNBPA has no plans to vote again on authorizing a strike, multiple outlets reported Saturday. The members of the union previously authorized their leadership to call a strike late last year.
The news comes as reports that some players are less committed to missing the 2026 WNBA season continue to circulate. Per the Sports Business Journal, approximately 30 players engaged in a “spirited” conversation about potentially missing the season after the league insisted CBA negotiations need to be wrapped up by March 10 so the season can begin on time.
The SBJ also noted that most players on the call affirmed their support for a strike, and that some believe “there is still not enough player dissent to revive or fast track a new strike authorization vote.”
What the WNBA’s March 10 deadline means for the league
The WNBA’s deadline of March 10 is the latest date that league officials believe a handshake deal could be reached in order for the 2026 season to begin on May 8. It’s believed that the CBA would be ratified on March 31, which would allow for several things to take place in a short span of time.
First, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire would hold their expansion drafts sometime between April 1 and 6. The league does not want to conflict with the women’s Final Four, which takes place in Phoenix on April 3 and 5.
Free agency would kick off next, and qualifying offers — including core designations — would be sent to players on April 7 and 8. As many fans know by now, most of the league will be able to negotiate new deals with their current or prospective teams (or both). Players and teams would have three days — April 9, 10, and 11 — to negotiate the terms of new deals, which would be signed between April 12 and April 18.
Training camp for most teams would begin on April 19, and the 2026 WNBA Draft would be held on April 13.
Revenue sharing is holding up the new CBA
While there are several issues that players and the league still need to hammer out, including housing terms and how a new developmental pool can be implemented for each team in the WNBA, the biggest priority has been coming to some kind of resolution in terms of a new revenue sharing system. So far, the WNBA and WNBPA have remained an an impasse.
