October 3, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a press conference prior to the 2025 WNBA Finals game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvani-Imagn Image A third night of negotiations between the WNBA and the players’ union continued into the early morning hours Friday without agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Nonetheless, Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Executive Committee of the Women’s Basketball Players Association, sent a positive message about the negotiations on Thursday morning.
“I think what we feel is like movement: being able to be in a room and exchanging suggestions,” Ogwumike said.
Front Office Sports reported Friday that the two sides met for a total of 16 hours at a Manhattan hotel until 3 a.m.
Previously, the first meeting between the two sides lasted until 5 a.m. on Wednesday and continued until 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. Total negotiation time was close to 40 hours over 3 days.
League officials set a March 10 deadline for a new CBA deal to avoid losing regular season games.
The league and players have been at a standstill for months with revenue sharing, a revised salary cap and housing issues among the major issues. The regular season is scheduled to begin on May 8.
Front Office Sports reports that the WNBPA is currently proposing a salary cap of $6.2 million per team. This is an increase from $5.75 million at the beginning of offseason negotiations. Maximum earnings would reach $1.3 million and the average player salary would reach $570,000, according to figures exchanged during the negotiating session that began on Thursday.
The WNBPA Executive Committee includes Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Brianna Turner and Alysha Clark, as well as Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson. The league was represented by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, League Operations Director Bethany Donaphin, New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai, and Connecticut Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti.
According to the report, the players’ union is demanding less than 26% of the league’s revenue after negotiations began. The league is reportedly offering 15.5% of gross revenue and other financial benefits as of Thursday’s negotiations.
–Field level media
