Tuesday was a great day for women's basketball, as the Women's National Basketball Association and the WNBA Players Association have agreed on an eight-year Collective Bargaining Agreement to improve the league's standards.
Among those who rejoiced with the news is Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who lauded one particular clause of the new agreement. The 54-year-old mentor was delighted with the improvements in travel accommodations, as WNBA players will now have their own hotel rooms during road games.
“I think that's great. I read that they got their hotel rooms on the road, which might not seem like a big deal to you, but it took forever for us to get that in the NBA,” Steve Kerr shared, per Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle .
The Warriors coach, who played for 15 seasons from 1988-2003, also recalled how he had to share a room for the first half of his NBA career.
Aside from finally having rooms to themselves, WNBA players will also have a significant increase in their maximum salaries, as well as paid maternity leaves among other improvements. Pregnant professional players faced a tricky situation in seasons past, missing a year's worth of salary.
Dallas Wings guard and four-time WNBA all-star Skylar Diggins-Smith once drew flak when she admitted playing the entire 2018 season while pregnant. The new clause will hopefully allow players to still earn while they are expecting without jeopardizing their health and safety.
The new collective bargaining agreement, which also includes a 50-50 revenue sharing system, will take effect in the 2021 season.
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