WNBPA’s Stewart: Letter not meant to undermine Jackson

WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart said Friday that the letter she and Kelsey Plum wrote to players’ union executive director Terri Jackson earlier this week was intended to “get the entire [executive committee] back on track” to get the best collective bargaining agreement deal possible as negotiations with the league continue.

The three-page letter highlighted “serious concerns about how the PA is handling the current negotiations” for a new CBA, “including the lack of adequate player involvement in the process.”

Speaking with reporters Friday in Miami during a Team USA minicamp, Stewart said the letter, which was obtained by ESPN, was not meant to undermine Jackson or cause divide within the executive committee or players’ association.

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“Terri is our executive director. We know she is leading us in the best way possible,” said Stewart, the New York Liberty star. “While there might be some differences in opinions or questions that are being asked, it’s all in good faith of knowing that we do what’s right for all of the players.”

Stewart said she and Plum, the first vice president of the union, have spoken with Jackson directly since sending the letter and also have spoken with the rest of the executive committee, which includes Nneka Ogwumike, Napheesa Collier, Elizabeth Williams, Alysha Clark and Brianna Turner.

The union held a call with its players Tuesday night that Stewart described as “tougher.” It addressed the issues raised by Stewart and Plum, sources told ESPN, as well as the results of a players’ association survey that asked, in part, if they would “accept the league’s proposal of 50% of net revenue, which is less than 15% of gross revenue in an eight-year deal or ask the union to keep negotiating?”

According to a social media post from the union, 84% of the players who responded said that they “would not accept 15% and want the union to keep negotiating,” though it was unclear how many respondents the survey had.

Stewart said there was another call between the executive committee Thursday night that she felt was “a lot more productive.”

The union has not responded to the league’s latest proposal, which it received March 2. The league’s new offer proposes accelerating maximum contract eligibility for star players on rookie-scale contracts, sources familiar with the negotiations told ESPN. The league’s revenue share proposal remains the same as previous ones, though the cap in Year 1 was bumped from $5.65 million to $5.75 million, up from $1.5 million in 2025. Based on conservative league projections, the salary cap will grow to roughly $8.5 million by Year 6 of the deal, sources told ESPN.

Stewart said she does not know when the union will send its next counterproposal.

Her comments came four days before the March 10 date given by the league to the WNBPA last month to try to complete a term sheet for a new CBA. The 2026 regular season is scheduled to begin May 8, but before then, the league must hold a college draft (slated for April 13), a two-team expansion draft and free agency for more than 100 players.