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Ahead of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday night, players made a statement as they warmed up.
Players wore shirts featuring the message “Pay Us What You Owe Us” as the Women’s National Basketball Players Association negotiates a new collective bargaining agreement with the WNBA.
“We need to get what we’re well overdue for. I think it just shows how powerful our league is and how powerful our voices and our platform [are],” reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson told ESPN after the All-Star Game.
Thursday’s discussions between both sides marked the first in-person meeting between the WNBA and WNBPA since December 2024.
“The players are what is building this brand and this league,” Napheesa Collier said, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou. “There is no league without the players, and past, present, the ones coming up, they’re the ones that have put in the blood, sweat and tears for the new money that’s coming in.”
Players revealed that both sides seemed to mostly agree on family planning and retirement benefits, but were far apart on issues such as revenue sharing, salary structure and prioritization, according to ESPN’s Michael Voepel.
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum explained why revenue sharing was a key issue in discussions.
“Rev sharing is truly transformational,” Plum said, per Voepel. “We want a piece of the entire pie. Not a piece of part of the pie. We’re a resilient group. We know the unity it takes to be able to [get] the outcome desired.”
Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic also polled 37 WNBA players regarding the next CBA between May 27 and July 13, with over 70 percent of players naming “higher salaries” as the top priority in talks with the league.
The WNBA’s popularity has grown in recent years, as the league agreed to a new $2.2 billion media rights deal in July 2024. There are also plans to expand from 13 teams to 18 by 2030.
With CBA discussions expected to continue, All-Stars sent a message to the league on Saturday.
