The Las Vegas Aces pulled off a 4-0 sweep over the Phoenix Mercury to win their third WNBA championship in four seasons. It comes amidst major speculation surrounding the ongoing negotiations between the league and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), with the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire on Oct. 31, 2025.
That has effectively set a deadline for the WNBA to negotiate a new agreement, with Aces owner Mark Davis effectively in the same boat as WNBA fans.
“I think they'll work it out somehow. I hope. I haven't been consulted. You know what side of the table I'd probably be sitting on. So, we'll get it right,” he explained, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
The current CBA was signed in January 2020 and was originally set to run through 2027. However, the WNBPA’s decision to opt out early moved the expiration to October 31 this year.
As things stand, the biggest point of contention appears to be the fact that player salaries in the WNBA are not proportional to the league’s growing revenue. Currently, players receive 9.3% of league revenue, far below the NBA (49–51%), NFL (48%), and NHL (50%) standards, per USA TODAY.
The lack of progress even resulted in WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier criticizing commissioner Cathy Engelbert, accusing league leadership of undervaluing players and benefiting “despite” them, not because of them. Engelbert said a temporary extension could be used if no deal is reached by the deadline, allowing operations to continue while talks progress.
A similar 60-day extension happened in 2019, just before the current CBA was signed in January 2020. However, without a deal (or extension), the league would shut down operations until a new CBA is finalized.
That in itself will be unprecedented, although the 2003 draft and preseason were postponed before a new deal was reached. As things stand, even Davis appears to be unsure about how things will pan out,
