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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JULY 19: A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces wear shirts saying “Pay us what you owe us” prior to the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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With a single day to spare, the WNBA and the WNBPA announced they were extending their negotiation deadline to November 30 amidst the growing support from other professional leagues.
Pressure has been mounting on the league over the past several months but perhaps nothing spurred more attention to the issue than when Napheesa Collier, member of the Minnesota Lynx and WNBPA vice-president used her exit interview on September 30 to speak out against the WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert as well as bring light to issues related to the current CBA negotiations.
This included comments quoted by Collier from the commissioner about Caitlin Clark which angered fans and created viral attention for the WNBPA and CBA negotiations.
The two sides continue to be at odds, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently went on Today and explained that, “I think share isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA…they are gonna get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining and they deserve it.”
Collier added fuel to the fire again this week interviewing with Glamour Magazine where she stated, “We are being so grossly almost taken advantage of, and it should be illegal” (via Emily Tannenbaum of Glamor Magazine).
Other Professional Leagues Voicing Support for the Players
As of now, the two sides do not seem any closer to reaching an agreement, but several men’s leagues across the country have taken to social media this week to show solidarity with the WNBPA including the NFLPA on October 29, the MLSPA on October 30, and the MLBPA on the morning of the original deadline, October 31.
The force of three of the major men’s sports leagues players association as well as various other men and women athletes calling for change and for the WNBA to come to the negotiation table with real responses and compromises is a big step. This is also coupled with public pressure and discourse around the CBA that is unprecedented.
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