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On a day the Liberty’s Natasha Cloud stared into a camera to say, “We will not f—ing move until ya’ll move,” reports surfaced Friday that the WNBA and its players’ union will hold its first full collective bargaining session of 2026 in New York on Monday.
During interviews in Philadelphia on Friday for an Unrivaled tour stop, the Sparks’ Kelsey Plum revealed that she, Napheesa Collier and Nneka Ogwumike — all members of the WNBPA executive committee — will meet face-to-face alongside the union with league hierarchy for the first time since the fall.
Expected to be in attendance — in addition to WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson, her advisers, her staff and those players — are WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, her staff, the labor relations committee and owners. The core issue is expected to be revenue sharing, especially after the league did not respond to a union request a month ago for a 30% split of the revenue pie and a $10M-plus salary cap.
The league, according to sources, calculated it would lose $700M over the course of the six-year offer if it accepted the 30% split — and saw no need to answer. In addition, the league believed it had already offered “massive” increases, including a $1.3M average salary in 2026 (up from $249,244) and a $530,000 average salary this season (up from $102,249) that could grow to $780,000 over the course of the deal. The WNBA offer also included a 70% share of net revenues.
But the union, sources said, contended 70% of net revenue equaled about 15% of gross revenue, which is why the offer was a non-starter. The talks have been stalled ever since, and in recent days, discussions have ramped up within the union about possibly striking in the near future.
In fact, Cloud’s comments Friday in Philadelphia insinuated that the players have all the leverage going forward.
“We’re not worried as the players, if I’m going to be frank and honest and transparent,” Cloud said in a group interview. “We’re not worried. All the power is in our hands. We have never had a moment like this where there’s been so much momentum, where there’s been so much investment, demand of our sports. And honestly, I’m just kind of upset, frustrated, all of us, and in a lot of ways just like disgusted with the W, how they’re handling this and their lack of values, their lack of worth for us, their lack of even trying to attempt the move the needle with us.
“We know what is on the horizon. We know in two years our TV deal is up and there’s a new TV deal that’s going to come that they’re not even putting on the table for us. The percentages, if we actually told you the percentages of what they’re giving, that they’re like sending to us would absolutely piss y’all off. So just know when we are standing firm in our feet and 10 toes down, there is a reason and we will not move until y’all move. So I’m gonna look directly into the camera, too. We will not f—ing move until y’all move. And it would be the worst business decision of any business to not literally pay the players that make your business go. Without us, there is no W. So the pressure is on the WNBA, on Cathy, on [NBA Commissioner] Adam [Silver], on everyone that is in that front office.”
