WNBA CBA negotiations are having a major off-court impact on players

A lot of attention has been paid to the ongoing CBA negotiations between the WNBA and the league’s players. A lot of that attention has been intense and skewed toward the negative — with so much uncertainty, it’s difficult to know if there will be any kind of resolution anytime soon.

But the CBA negotiations have the ability to impact some of the players in the league — especially those who are still in the early stages of their career — in a positive way, too. At least, that’s one way to look at what Aaliyah Edwards said in an interview with the Hartford Courant that was published this year.

Edwards was recently honored by UConn

Edwards was recently honored by her alma mater UConn, and spoke to the Courant as part of that night. She was drafted by the Washington Mystics as the No. 6 overall pick in 2024, and has since moved on to play for the Connecticut Sun.

Edwards, who is originally from Ontario, Canada, spoke with the outlet about the impact that Connecticut has had on her basketball career. “One, I really only spent a month with the Connecticut Sun this past season, but it really is a second home to me, so a lot of memories, a lot of history here in this state,” she explained. Edwards played for the Huskies for all four years of her collegiate career.

Though she’s since moved on to the WNBA, Edwards made it clear that the Huskies will always be important to her — and that she plans to be in Phoenix when the team makes it to the Final Four this year.

Aaliyah Edwards says she’s learned a lot from the CBA negotiations

Edwards also told the outlet that witnessing the negotiations firsthand has offered her the opportunity to learn a lot about how labor disputes really work. As she put it, “Going into this new CBA, we’re not just trying to make changes for next year, but also for the six years down the road.”

Edwards, who is playing her second season in Unrivaled this year, added that the league’s founders have offered guidance for navigating a lot mroe than just basketball. “Very impressed (with Stewart and Collier), especially now that ‘Phee is my teammate in Unrivaled, spending time with her, learning not just basketball things, but life lessons and how she navigates the corporate world, it’s nice to have her as a mentor,” she said. “What they’re doing, her and Stewie, not only for Unrivaled but for women’s basketball, it’s amazing to see and it encourages me to make that same kind of impact in my own way.”