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As tensions have reached a fever pitch, the WNBA has proposed a 30-day extension to continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).
According to ESPN, the players would only accept an extension “under the right circumstances,” but those circumstances “do not yet exist.”
Erin D. Drake, WNBPA senior adviser and legal counsel, said recently on The Athletic’s “No Offseason” podcast that there will not be a new agreement by Friday.
“We have worked hard to be able to say on Friday, we did it. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen,” Drake said in the podcast episode. “In a dance, it takes two to tango. And it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm and to find the same sense of urgency [from the league], just to be frank, to get this done.”
The WNBA responded to Drake’s claims in a statement provided to ESPN, noting that “the league’s most recent proposal was made on Oct. 1 and that the WNBPA just responded to it on Monday.”
“We have been negotiating with the Players Association in good faith and with urgency for several months with the goal of finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement as quickly as possible,” a WNBA spokesperson said. “Throughout this process, we have been clear that our top priority is reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses players’ ask for significant increases in pay, benefits, and enhancements to their experience, while ensuring the long-term growth and success of the league and its teams.”
“We urge the Players Association to spend less time disseminating public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement across the table,” the statement continued.
In the history of the WNBA, this would be the second time that the sides have needed an extension to complete negotiations on a new CBA. In 2019, the opposing sides needed a 60-day extension before a new deal was reached in Jan. 2020.
