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ESPN dropped a bombshell in the middle of WNBA collective bargaining on Tuesday.
New reporting from Alexa Philippou and Don Van Natta revealed a rift between the players and their leaders in the WNBA Players’ Association.
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Two executive committee members, Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks and Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, wrote in a letter to players’ union executive director Terri Jackson that “we do not feel like we have an adequate seat at the table in these negotiations,” according to the report.
Plum is a four-time WNBA All-Star and a two-time WNBA champion. Stewart is a seven-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and three-time champion.
Last month, the WNBA gave the players’ union until March 10 to try to complete a term sheet for a new CBA.
“But we are frustrated that we have not made more progress as we near the March 10 deadline,” Stewart and Plum wrote in the letter, according to ESPN, “and we believe this is a result of a breakdown in communication between you and the Executive Committee and players more broadly.”
The 2026 WNBA regular season is scheduled to begin in April. Whether or not it begins on time likely depends on the outcome of the labor negotiations.
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