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The WNBA has seen significant growth this past season from a viewership and sheer popularity standpoint. And in the eyes of some of the biggest stars in the sport, Chicago Sky star Angel Reese and Dallas Wings star Dijonai Carrington, this will make the upcoming negotiations for a new CBA very interesting.
Last year, WNBA’s players opted out of the current CBA, which was set to expire in 2027. Now, the current CBA will expire after the 2025 season, in October.
Reese and Carrington discussed numerous topics on the most recent episode of the Unapologetically Angel podcast on Friday. But perhaps most notably, both Reese and Carrington made the position of the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) very clear from what they are hearing, outlining how there could be a player strike if the demands of the players are not met.
“Yeah, the CBA is coming up,” said Reese. “We deserve more. Everybody, everybody. But we have to face the consequences? The women coming in next year are probably gonna be making more than us. I gotta get in the meetings. Because I’m hearing… If y’all don’t give us what we want, we sitting out.”
“Yeah, that’s a possibility,” replied Dijonai Carrington. “For real, it was kind of a possibility on the last one. But now, just with the leverage that we have right now. It’s just a time where women’s basketball is going crazy. It’s gonna be a time next year. But we deserve it.”
In a follow up message on X, Reese cleared up the fact that while it is false that WNBA players are asking for comparable salaries to players in the NBA, that WNBA players are very well prepared to go on strike should the negotiations go south.
“I love how yall have selective hearing,” said Reese in response to a false report about her comments. “I said ‘I’m hearing if they don’t give us what we want, we sitting out’ and that’s the truth. I never said anything about the NBA. We are prepared to stay at the negotiating table for as long as it takes. Here’s the link to my podcast so you can hear the conversation too. I will continue to use my voice to speak for what WE want & deserve as a league. Thank ya.”
I love how yall have selective hearing. I said “I’m hearing if they don’t give us what we want, we sitting out” and that’s the truth. I never said anything about the NBA. We are prepared to stay at the negotiating table for as long as it takes. Here’s the link to my podcast so… https://t.co/UQ7aHtUIXi
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) March 8, 2025
One of the biggest factors in the upcoming CBA will undoubtedly be regarding the revenue sharing between players and owners in the WNBA and how this split affects player salaries. In the NBA, players and owners of course split basketball-related income evenly, which has been something that WNBA players have been wanting for years.
Considering the fact that the WNBA brought in an average of 657,000 fans on televised WNBA games this past season, the highest average viewership in 24 years, the players do have a very real argument for getting their fair share in the owner-player revenue split as long as the league continues to grow in 2025.
Based on what Reese has said about the situation, it sure sounds like WNBA players won’t be settling for anything less than what they feel they deserve. So expect for the upcoming CBA to continue to be a talking point as we approach the 2025 WNBA season, which begins in May.
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