NEW YORK (AP) — WNBA players union President Nneka Ogwumike said there is still a lot of work to do to get the season started on time, but she said she remains confident games will be played in 2026.
“I know our players want to play 100% this year,” she said Friday in a lengthy interview with The Associated Press. “We want a season.”
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Ogwumike said the league and union are not close on key issues like revenue sharing in their efforts to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The clock is ticking. The season is supposed to starts May 8but an expansion draft, free agency and rookie draft must also take place before the start of the league.
Ogwumike said once revenue sharing is resolved, the rest will hopefully fall into place quickly.
“We made the case that once we solve this problem, we can do everything else,” Ogwumike said.
The players want about 30% of gross revenue – money generated before expenses – for the first year in their latest proposal. Under the league’s latest proposal, players would receive more than 70 percent of net revenue, although that would be their share of the profits after expenses are paid. These expenses would include facility upgrades, charter flights, five-star hotels, medical services, security and arenas.
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Ogwumike repeatedly reiterated that the union was still waiting for a response from the league to a proposal it sent more than six weeks ago.
“I think what the players are looking at right now is the lack of movement from the league is really disappointing,” she said.
According to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP last month, the league did not believe this proposal was significantly different from the one the union sent earlier and did not warrant a new response. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations. After a three hour meeting At the NBA offices on Monday, the union left knowing it would soon have a new proposal.
The league’s most recent offer last month would guarantee a maximum base salary of $1 million in 2026, which could rise to $1.3 million through revenue sharing. That’s an increase from the current $249,000 and could reach nearly $2 million over the life of the deal.
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It was on slides that were shown to players during Monday’s meeting and obtained by the AP.
The slides also highlighted 37 areas where the league was willing to make concessions the players wanted. Some of those proposals included adding two developmental player slots to teams, giving pregnant players the right to decline trades, increasing guaranteed contracts on a team and codifying charter flights and other first-class travel considerations.
If a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached soon, it could delay the start of the 2026 season. This has already delayed the expansion draft for Toronto and Portland.
The last collective agreement was announced in mid-January 2020, a month after it was agreed. It could easily take two months from the time a new collective bargaining agreement is reached to the start of free agency, which was supposed to start last month. With a massive pay raise expected in the new CBA, 80% of the league’s players are free agents this offseason, making it the largest player movement opportunity in WNBA history.
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A delay would hurt both sides, as each missed match would result in lost revenue, as would sponsorships, television money and fan support.
Ogwumike, who is in her third term as union president, said the long wait for a response hasn’t been so bad, as she and union leaders have had the opportunity to speak with WNBA players. She was in Nashville Thursday with Athletes Unlimited union leadership. It was an opportunity to take the pulse of the players.
“I actually like that we’ve spent these six weeks now, still waiting for a proposal. It’s given us some time,” she said. “And so, you know, in December, after the strike authorization vote, we were able to meet in Miami and talk to the players.”
Players voted to grant union leaders the right to strike in December. Ogwumike said that despite this, a strike was not imminent, although the union posted a video on social media about the 1964 NBA All-Star Game strike. The NBA All-Star Game will be held next weekend in Los Angeles.
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“Having the strike on the table is something that we are very conscious of, but there are so many other conversations that need to be had,” Ogwumike said. “You know, we’re not just going to say, ‘Hey, today’s the big day (we’re going to strike). “You know, I think that’s what we’re demonstrating right now is by negotiating in good faith.
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