The WNBA has officially informed the players' union that a term sheet for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) must be finalized by March 10th to ensure the 2026 schedule remains intact. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reinforced the urgency at All-Star Weekend on February 14th, stating that negotiations were getting “awfully close to the 11th hour.” It's a familiar pressure tactic from ownership; however, the WNBA's timeline pressure might actually be flawed.
Players actually hold leverage right now because, unlike athletes in every other major sports labor dispute, WNBA players have active alternatives. Currently, 54 WNBA players are competing in Unrivaled, about 40 are playing in Athletes Unlimited in Nashville, and some veterans play overseas. The union's leverage is being shaped by its most organized members, who have made clear they are prepared to wait.
The regular season is supposed to begin on May 8, but before tip-off, the WNBA has to hold a two-team expansion draft for the new Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, which has already been delayed due to the stalemate. They have to host the WNBA draft in April and execute a free agency period where 80% of the league’s players are currently unsigned. If the season is delayed, it directly harms the owners and the momentum that the league has built over the past few years. Every missed game equates to both lost revenue and damaged sponsorships.
The league recently attempted to use a six-week stalemate to pressure the union, making the decision not to respond to a union proposal that they felt was unrealistic. Instead of panicking, the union used the WNBA's own tactics to build solidarity. WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike recently shared her perspective on the current leverage, noting that players "understand the moment we're in" and are approaching negotiations with a unified front.
Instead of waiting for the league, union leadership met with Unrivaled players in Miami, and Ogwumike traveled to Nashville to take the pulse of players actively competing in Athletes Unlimited. Since the players have physical hubs to organize and stay connected, the traditional threat of a lockout breaking a fractured, isolated workforce does not apply here.
At the center of this standoff is the basic disagreement over the league's growing finances. The players are demanding 27.5% of the WNBA's gross revenue over the life of the deal. The league has countered with an offer of roughly 70% of net revenue, which equates to only about 15% of gross revenue. In addition to this, the WNBA recently generated enough revenue to unlock roughly $8 million to $9.25 million for players active between 2020 and 2025.
As WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner recently told ESPN, this milestone "shows our value and how what we're fighting for makes sense." But the players aren't ignoring the risks. They understand that in a revenue-sharing model, missing games directly translates to less money for everyone involved. WNBPA Vice President Breanna Stewart recently acknowledged the complexity of the talks, noting that while the brain-draining negotiations are tough, the players are focused on "getting the best deal possible" for the long term.
In most sports labor disputes, the threat of a lockout breaks the players first because they have no other income streams or competitive outlets. However, in this case, the players have unprecedented leverage. The March 10th deadline was designed to make the players resolve the situation quicker, but in a league where 80% of the players are unsigned and they have alternative leagues for competition, the league may have miscalculated who actually has more to lose.