The possibility that the 2026 WNBA season will be delayed increases with each passing day. It’s been more than a year since the WNBPA and the league came together to forge a new CBA, but even after so much time, no agreement is in sight. As negotiations drag on into the second month of this year, the union’s vice president, Breanna Stewart, finds herself at the center of one of the most complicated moments due to the multiple hats she wears.
In 2025, Stewart teamed up with Napheesa Collier to launch a new 3×3 league for women’s basketball players to give them the opportunity to earn money during the offseason while staying in the United States. As vice president of the WNBPA and co-owner of Unrivaled, Stewart has now come under increasing scrutiny, with many claiming she may have a conflict of interest. But on Monday, she finally responded to the criticism head-on.
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Speaking on theGame recognition game, a The New York Liberty star’s recently launched podcast with NBA center Myles Turner, Stewart made her position clear on the perceived tension between the WNBA and Unrivaled.
“I know a lot of people hate the fact that (me) is a part of Unrivaled and also trying to negotiate the WNBA, but it’s like I want two things to both succeed,” Breanna Stewart said. “And literally, that’s how I look at it. I look at it from a purely business perspective and how things can be great for everyone. The only thing Unrivaled shows is positive. When you show players on social media, or in games, or wherever, people are watching. So we can’t have that for our summer season in the WNBA.”
The WNBPA withdrew from the previous CBA in order to achieve better salaries and a revenue sharing system that would reflect the league’s rapid growth. And while the league’s latest offer will result in a significant increase in player revenue, the union believes it still doesn’t reflect the true value of what players bring to the table. And that’s where Unrivaled comes in.
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Unrivaled paid its players an average salary of around $220,000 in 2025, a figure that would have been increased in 2026, when the average WNBA salary is around $120,000.
Although the league now offers maximum salaries close to $1.3 million in 2026, with salaries averaging $540,000, players want more because they don’t want to settle for a deal that wouldn’t age well amid the WNBA’s growth.
This disparity has only fueled criticism that Breanna Stewart’s involvement in both camps presents a conflict of interest. But from his perspective, Unrivaled isn’t a competition, it’s a proof of concept, something his partner, Collier, also believes in.
Napheesa Collier highlights unrivaled as benchmark WNBA should study
On January 5, during the opening day of Unrivaled’s second season, Napheesa Collier, who is out this season following ankle surgeries, used a mid-game interview to directly connect the league’s early success to the WNBA’s ongoing CBA negotiations.
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She sees the 3×3 league as a concrete example that the WNBA should consider if it wants to understand how a league can be run.
“I think you’ve heard a lot of discussion that what we’re asking for is not sustainable for the business,” she said. “Being on this side, with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. So I think if they can’t find a model that can do it, they need to put people in place who can do it. Because we’ve proven that it’s possible. There is a way. And we thrive on it.”
From player compensation to visibility and operational efficiencies, the off-season league has shown the world that a player-centric model can work without sacrificing sustainability.
Although the WNBA and WNBPA met Monday for the first time in months, no breakthrough was made. The in-person meeting, which Breanna Stewart attended virtually, allowed players and owners to engage in open conversations and ask questions directly. And if this impasse persists, a postponement of the upcoming season would be inevitable.
