As WNBA CBA negotiations continue, players shift gears to offseason leagues: ‘Grow the game, grow their brand’

As negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement continue this week ahead of the Nov. 30 deadline, players are preparing for their offseason playing commitments. And the heat is building as Project B, one of the latest entries into the women’s professional basketball landscape, continues to herald top talent ahead of its late 2026 launch.

The WNBA and players’ union have until Sunday to reach agreement on a collective bargaining agreement, agree to another deadline extension or enter a standstill period during which they can continue to negotiate in good faith without a work stoppage. The main question concerns salaries and the revenue sharing structure. The league’s recent proposal includes a maximum salary of approximately $1.1 million that includes a maximum base salary and potential additional revenue sharing, a league source confirmed. Negotiations remain ongoing and updated proposals have been exchanged, a source told Yahoo Sports.

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The players’ union apparently does not view this offer as a way to move forward with negotiations, leaving the possibility of a work stoppage on the table. The players expressed their main priority, negotiating weight and options throughout the process.

“We know we have so much leverage that either we split the money with you or you can’t make the money,” WNBA and Athletes Unlimited Basketball veteran Isabelle Harrison told Yahoo Sports earlier this month. “So what will be the best option here?” »

A major bargaining chip at their disposal is the range of offseason leagues available. A large contingent of WNBA players are already on overseas assignments, and more than 77 players with W experience are preparing for Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited Basketball games early in the new year.

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Three of the WNBPA executive committee members own stock in other leagues. Nneka Ogwumike, in her third term as WNBPA president, was the first to publicly sign with Project B, a global 5v5 league launched by tech founders with a start date in late 2026. Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, co-founders of the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, serve as vice presidents of the WNBPA. Some WNBPA team player representatives, including Harrison, have equity or are executive members of other leagues after leaving the game overseas.

ABC 2020 introduces the “prioritization” clause at the request of team owners who wanted players to prioritize their WNBA commitments. Before the launch of the WNBA, the nation’s top players began careers overseas after college and continued to do so during the WNBA offseason. The clause required registered players to arrive at training camp on time from their foreign teams or risk being suspended for the season.

Players said this summer they have heard that the WNBA and its team owners may try to eliminate player participation in other leagues altogether. Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams face of the clause over the years, said after a July meeting during All-Star weekend that “it’s very clear” that the league wants to “get Unrivaled out, get AU out.”

Project B has since entered the fold. From Tuesdaynine WNBA players have announced their intention to play, including Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham and Kamilla Cardoso. They envision a league of 66 players and six teams, running from November to April – leading directly into the WNBA season.

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Mitchell and Thomas will star in Unrivaled in January before joining Project B next fall. The addition of the new league adds another wrinkle to the ever-changing landscape of the WNBA offseason.

“We are confident in what we have built together with our athletes, partners and investors,” Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said in a statement to The Associated Press last week. “We remain consistent in our approach to compensating players competitively, providing them with meaningful ownership in the business, and keeping them home year-round.”

Unmatched players will begin reporting to Miami for the league’s second season on December 12. league with eight clubs and 48 players featuring 21 of the WNBA’s top 30 scorers. The 2026 season begins January 5 with games daily Friday through Monday, broadcast on TNT Sports Networks. Twenty-seven players returned, many of whom praised their ability to stay focused at a time when they would usually be in obscurity or expected to play overseas.

“The players talked a lot about how they were taken care of, from the professionalism of everyone involved to the childcare, to all the other aspects of Unrivaled that really matter to the players,” Noelle Quinn, the former head coach of the Seattle Storm during her first year at Unrivaled, told reporters on a video call last week. “And through that, you see it flourish and prosper. And you see a lot of athletes are still a part of it and want to continue to play here and grow here. Grow the game, grow their brand.”

AU Basketball begins a month later on February 4 in Nashville, where 40 players compete for an individual title in the fantasy sports format. The league, broadcast on ESPN Networks, landed its most decorated player to date. when he signed Tina Charles, the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and second-leading career scorer, in September. But the UA has largely marketed itself as more than just an offseason location for WNBA stars.

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“We welcome the entire professional women’s basketball landscape,” Megan Perry, UA vice president of basketball operations, told Yahoo Sports in August. “The WNBA plays a big role in this, but we view it as real work and complementing each other to help shape the whole ecosystem, everyone, based on where you are on the spectrum of your basketball journey. But we embrace all of that.”

The 5-on-5 league selects new teams each week and tracks the success of its softball league. It is the first national professional league to be launched as off-season home for WNBA talent since the National Women’s Pro Basketball (NWBL) folded in 2007.

“Most people didn’t think we would make it past the first year,” Harrison told Yahoo Sports earlier this month. “They didn’t think this would be something that would help. So to see now how the UA has been kind of the catalyst for these other leagues popping up across the states, it’s pretty important. I don’t think people really talk about it, but it’s definitely the way the UA has been influential. And I wanted to be a part of something that has influence.”

The UA served as a launching pad for the opportunities and success of the WNBA. NaLyssa Smith won the 2023 AU title and, after two crucial exchanges, won the 2025 WNBA championship in Las Vegas. Allisha Gray, the 2024 AU champion, became an MVP candidate in Atlanta. And defending champion Maddy Siegrist is one of the few players who lingers around the WNBA Most Improved Player conversation. Veronica Burton and DiJonai Carrington both earned MIP honors after AU seasons.

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The gold standard remains Sydney Colson, a member of the UA player executive committee along with Harrison and Lexie Brown. All three have signed for every UA season. A seven-year journeyman, Colson did not make the WNBA roster in 2021. During UA’s inaugural season in 2022, WNBA scouts saw her play against “very, very good” W talent that first year in Las Vegas. Aces head coach Becky Hammon signed her to a training camp contract and five years later she is a two-time WNBA champion.

“This wouldn’t have happened (without) the emergence of this league,” Colson, who won’t be active while rehabbing a torn ACL, told Yahoo Sports. “I constantly give credit to AU. … It was just a door, a way for me to get my foot in the door and show that I can still play as well. That’s a lot of people’s situation.”

Harrison argued in a conversation earlier this month that players need to stay relevant and “connected to the world” during the WNBA’s long offseason, a challenge faced by alternative leagues for the benefit of all parties. Yahoo Sports spoke with players this season who said WNBA salaries would have to increase significantly for them to consider forgoing other leagues.

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As the national leagues prepare for the announcement, players believe it will be a boost to the WNBA, not a detriment.

“You need leagues like the UA to be able (for fans) to continue to connect with your favorite players, to their stories, (to) access them through various platforms, I think that’s important,” Harrison said. “So as far as the CBA goes, I just hope they look at this and be proud, and see that we really care about being a part of the W. We want to grow even more, but we need your help to finally invest (in) what we think is best for us.”