Halloween is approaching fast and still no new CBA in the WNBA. As a result, the prospect of a WNBA season in 2026 maybe in jeopardy with the prospect of a lockout.
Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham recently said “a potential lockout … is kind of where it's headed” given that the deadline is Oct. 31.
Plus, WNBA advisor and legal consultant Erin Drake said “unfortunately, I'm not confident” that a deal would get done on the “Good Game with Sarah Spain” podcast.
Certainly, not something the league had in mind, given the growth in popularity in women's basketball. However, some unnamed sources are confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel, after all, according to Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
The league and the players' union could agree on an extension past the original deadline. Therefore, giving them more time to negotiate a long-term agreement. WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert brought this up during a press conference during the WNBA Finals.
“While I hope we make the October 31st deadline, and that is a real deadline from that perspective, we have extended deadlines in the past,” she said.
No need for the WNBA to panic?
Essentially, the anonymous source told ESPN that deals tend to come to fruition at the last minute. Therefore, there is no real need to panic.
“In the end, a work stoppage doesn't benefit anybody,” the source said. “I don't know exactly how far people are off. But generally, when I've seen these things, usually as it comes closer to crunch time, everybody kind of moves a little bit closer together, and we can get to a deal that's reasonable enough.”
On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced plans to increase salaries for WNBA players under a new collective bargaining agreement.
Tensions recently boiled over after Napheesa Collier criticized Engelbert and the WNBA leadership. Thus, leading to speculation that a lockout was possibly imminent.
