WNBA: The CBA stalemate will continue past January 9th deadline

The WNBA and WNBPA will not agree to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) by Friday, January 9, the expiration of the extended deadline. The league and players union also are not expected to agree to another, new extension.

That’s the news that Breanna Stewart, a WNBPA vice president, shared with media members from Unrivaled.

According to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, “Breanna Stewart says that she has been told a new extension will not be agreed upon by tomorrow’s CBA deadline, but the expectation is for the WNBA and Players’ Association to continue to negotiate in good faith.”

Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile added that Stewart asserted, “We are not coming to an agreement, I can tell you that.”

As ESPN’s Alexa Philippou explained, the lack of another extension means the current CBA would officially expire, but that does not necessarily change the state of negotiations, as “both sides would enter a ‘status quo’ period in which the conditions of the current CBA would be maintained and the league and union could continue negotiating.”

The absence of agreement would open the possibility for a work stoppage. The league is not currently considering a lockout, according to Philippou. A forthcoming strike by the players is also unlikely, as Stewart suggested that initiating a strike is “not something we’re going to do right this second, but we have in our back pocket.”

Philippou further reported that, despite the current stalemate, sources around the league believe that a deal will, eventually, get done and that there will be a 2026 WNBA season. Summarizing sources’ estimations on social media, Philippou wrote, “Too much at stake if games are missed. But we may not see a new CBA for a little while longer. The possibility of a super condensed offseason is real.”

For now, however, frustrations remain, especially on the players’ side. As Costabile reported, “The union was still awaiting a response from the league to the proposal they submitted roughly two weeks ago.”

Napheesa Collier, Stewart’s Unrivaled co-founder who also is a WNBPA vice president, expressed players’ dissatisfaction with the league’s process during an Unrivaled broadcast, stating:

You’ve heard a lot of chatter about what we’re asking for is not sustainable for the business. Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. If they can’t find a model that makes it happen, they need to put people in place who can. We’ve proven that it is possible. There is a way. We’re thriving in that.

In anticipation of the expiration of the current CBA, the WNBPA has launched Player Hubs, according to Khristina Williams of NBC Sports and In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams. This network will help players, not permitted to use WNBA resources, to access training sites at universities and other facilities across the United States and Spain, allowing players to use courts, weight rooms and recovery facilities.