WNBA CBA Fight Heats Up As Dozens Of Lawmakers Take Players’ Side

More than 70 elected officials, including NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, have signed a letter urging WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement.

With days left before the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires, political pressure is ramping up as lawmakers jump into the league’s money fight.

More than 70 elected officials from across the country — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — have signed a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver urging the league to reach a deal with players by the Oct. 31 deadline.

“We urge you to bargain in good faith to reach a fair collective bargaining agreement,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, which also threw full support behind the WNBA Players Association and its demands.

Zohran Mamdani was one of more than 70 lawmakers who signed a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert this week.

(Getty Images)

New York City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, a Liberty fan who spearheaded the letter, said the players’ fight for better pay, benefits and workplace conditions mirrors other labor battles across the country.

“It’s about more than basketball,” she told The Athletic. “It’s about valuing women’s labor, from pay equity to childcare and the benefits that allow them to thrive at home and at work.”

Cabán added that players’ demands reflect the same concerns shared by working-class women everywhere: “We need childcare. We need good health benefits. We need an environment that allows us to be present with our loved ones and values labor that allows you all to make as much money as you do.”

The WNBA and WNBPA remain at a standstill on CBA negotiations, despite months of both closed-door talks and very public clashes. As OutKick previously reported, the two sides remain far apart on core issues — namely, salaries and revenue sharing.

WNBA All-Stars wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirts during warm-ups in Indianapolis.

(Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

This summer, WNBA players made their stance loud and clear, showing up to the All-Star Game in Indianapolis wearing shirts that read: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” In the months since, tensions between players and the league have continued to escalate. 

Those tensions boiled over late last month when WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier accused Engelbert of “negligence” and tone-deaf leadership.

MORE: Napheesa Collier Torches WNBA Commissioner: ‘Worst Leadership In The World’

The WNBA says its latest offer includes big raises and a revenue-sharing plan that grows as the league makes more money. But the players say that’s not exactly true. The league’s version still makes them hit certain revenue targets before any extra money kicks in. What the players want is simple: a guaranteed cut that automatically grows as the WNBA grows.

And the league is growing. The WNBA is set to add five new franchises over the next five years and recently signed a $2.2 billion media rights deal that will begin in 2026.

The current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Oct. 31.

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

But until a new CBA is finalized, future planning is on hold — including expansion drafts for the new teams in Portland and Toronto. The delay could also impact the 2026 free agency period and potentially the WNBA Draft itself.

And with five days left before the CBA expires, it’s not looking promising.