Satou Sabally Complains About Grueling WNBA Schedule, Will Be Addressed In New CBA

This is the last season for the current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

WNBA players have plenty of demands for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Not only do they want more money, but according to Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, they also want to play fewer games.

Each team will play 44 regular-season games in 2025 — up from 40 games in 2023 and 2024.

“I think this is a conversation that could also be important for the next CBA,” said Sabally, a player representative for the Mercury with the WNBPA. “[WNBA Commissioner] Cathy [Englebert] added a lot of games, and for us as players, recovery is so important. We put our bodies on the line every single time. We had nine games in 18 days. That’s not really responsible for a commissioner.

“Other teams have like three back-to-backs. There are a lot of things that we could clean up in terms of scheduling, but we persevered, and showed that we can do it. It’s just something that, obviously, along the way over the course of a long season, that’s really hard to do.”

To be fair, nine games in 18 days is tough — albeit not unheard of in an 82-game NBA season. It’s also worth noting that the current CBA allows for 44-game regular seasons, so Engelbert was well within her rights to increase the schedule.

But this year is the final season for the WNBA’s current CBA, of which the players opted out last October.

“This is a defining moment, not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement at the time. “The world has evolved since 2020 [start of the current CBA], and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind.

“We are ready to lead transformational change — change that goes beyond women’s sports and sets a precedent for something greater. Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks — it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come.”

The schedule and recovery time clearly fall under “working conditions.” But at some point, the WNBAPA is going to have to stop making demands and start negotiating.

WNBA players have complained for years about making a fraction of the salaries of their NBA counterparts — all while also generating a fraction of the revenue and playing half the number of games. 

But don’t ask them any questions about that. You’ll probably get your credentials revoked.