It’s December 2025, but WNBA fans don’t know if there will be a 2026 WNBA season. And let’s be honest. For the first time in league history, there is a possibility that there will be a work stoppage across the league — and perhaps… even in a league where the future of the WNBA could be uncertain.
If you’re wondering whether the league and the WNBPA players’ union are closer to a collective bargaining agreement than before, the answer is uncertain, to say the least. Well no, at worst. Today, Cat Ariail, Swish Appeal website manager wrote an excellent analysis article on how the players’ union remains firm on its demands from the WNBA for equitable revenue sharing, not just more salary. They also still require team-provided housing, among other things.
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The WNBA reportedly wanted a longer season and training camp starting in March when college recruits won’t report until mid-April at the earliest, likely in an attempt to reduce the incentive for players to play in one basketball league (America or otherwise) or another. Historically, the WNBA has allowed players to play overseas or in other leagues during the winter. But the league doesn’t seem so supportive of that anymore.
Players always want the option to play abroad if they wish. And they seem ready to leave the WNBA if they want to. Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever goalkeeper recently said on a podcast that she would be willing to leave the league altogether if her new offseason league, Project B, is a 5×5 league consisting of six teams of 11 women who will compete in multiple two-week tournaments in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Players could, however, receive $2 million each the details are murky. That’s higher than any offer the WNBA has made to date.
I have reservations about how all of these women’s basketball leagues will survive for different reasons. But they all underscore the contention that the WNBA, even given its rapid rise in the 2020s, is not offering a fair enough deal to players. And unlike the NBA, players have multiple options for playing – and we haven’t reached the EuroLeague, Chinese and Australian women’s teams yet.
I think it’s important to make sure the WNBA provides a fair playing field for players and their salaries. But I also believe it’s fair that the WNBA requires players to be loyal to the WNBA in exchange for a pay raise. If the WNBA is truly the best professional women’s basketball league in the world, it must pay players market rates. Even if it results in short-term losses.
Otherwise, the international leagues (and many of my ramblings on this topic) will prevail.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
