WNBA: Chicago Sky star Angel Reese discusses CBA negotiations with Skylar Diggins-Smith

Angel Reese has time for everything. While the Chicago Sky star is currently competing in “Unrivaled,” she dropped an episode of her podcast “Unapologetically Angel” in which she sits down with Seattle Storm guard Diggins-Smith to discuss all-things WNBA, including the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations.

Diggins-Smith, 34, returned to the WNBA last season after taking a year off to welcome her second child in early 2023. As she is one of the veterans of the game, she has strong opinions about the negotiations, especially when it comes to player’s benefits. The current CBA will expire on October 31, so the sides have plenty of time to reach a new agreement.

Reese asked Diggins-Smith which things she expected to get with the new agreement, as players are already talking about the negotiations while on Unrivaled, admitting that she is “still new.” However, Diggins-Smith said “but you are the most important, because this is for you [the new generation].”

“I might not be in the next negotiation, so it is, and they used to tell me this too in the league, all the OGs used to say it: ‘this is why you need to know what’s going on with the league, ‘cause this CBA is for you, guys,’” she said to Reese.

Skylar Diggins-Smith  of the Lunar Owls drives ahead of Breanna Stewart #30 (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

“I know what I want, what I need, who I am, my hats that I wear could be different from what you want from your vantage point, but I think we all do have a few non-negotiables,” she added. “I feel like it starts with quality of life things, obviously pay […], benefits for moms, and things like that. But I’m going to prioritize what’s best for the group […] That’s what we’ve always done as a league, fight for the rights of everybody,” Diggins-Smith stated.

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How Unrivaled is putting pressure on the WNBA

Players haven’t hidden the fact that Unrivaled, with its numerous benefits including top-tier training facilities and an average salary of $250,000, along with equity rights, has put pressure on the WNBA. However, Diggins-Smith also explains this pressure from a sporting perspective.

“Development. Getting to play against this caliber of talent, the pace, things like that are going to translate into our game in the W. We want up and down games, and that’s something that gives people opportunity, space and opportunity, that’s all you got here. You can’t be on an island, you have to defend, you have to be a threat,” she explained.

Diggins-Smith returned to the league twice after pregnancy

The 34-year-old guard is one of the few WNBA players to return to action after giving birth, and she has done it twice. She first did it in 2020, after giving birth to her first child in 2019. She is a six-time WNBA All-Star, four-time WNBA First Team and earned the Most Improved Player in 2014.