The WNBA's CBA (collective bargaining agreement) negotiations have been grabbing nationwide attention for months and have drawn endorsements from legislators and fellow athletes. Now, the NFL's players' association is also chiming in, voicing its support for the women's basketball league's players as they stand up for what they feel they deserve.
“The NFLPA stands in solidarity with the WNBPA and its fight for a collective bargaining agreement that reflects the players' undeniable impact on the league's growth,” the statement read. “It's time for fair compensation, proper working conditions, and a future that puts players first.”
The W recently offered a 30-day extension so that discussions could continue. However, the WNBPA might not be interested in taking the league up on that offer.
“A source said the players may be willing to consider an extension ‘under the right circumstances' but they feel ‘those circumstances do not yet exist,'” ESPN's Alexa Philippou said on X, formerly Twitter.
The conversation around the CBA began to dominate the WNBA around All-Star Weekend, when players were first seen wearing the infamous “Pay Us What You Owe Us” t-shirts. With commissioner Cathy Engelbert in attendance, the crowd at the All-Star Game in Indiana chanted for the league to “pay them.”
Months later, when she was again in front of a crowd while presenting the Las Vegas Aces with their 2025 championship trophy, Engelbert was showered with boos as a result of the public callouts between the W and its players, which reportedly left their relationship fractured “beyond repair.”
A WNBA spokesperson told The Athletic that the league is still determined to get to a place of agreement with the WNBPA.
“We continue to negotiate in good faith and remain focused on delivering significant increases to salaries and benefits for players while building a league that can thrive for decades for the benefit of all,” the representative said.
“We already have several meetings scheduled with the WNBPA to move this forward and get it done in as timely a manner as the Players Association wishes,” the statement finished.
As the NFL joins in on the push for a new CBA that would prevent a lockout, all eyes will remain on the WNBA and what the players choose to do next.
