Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation president Nneka Ogwumike instructed ESPN on Friday that regardless of the union’s strike authorization vote amid its present negotiations for a brand new collective bargaining settlement, the WNBA gamers nonetheless need to play subsequent season.
“We’re in search of deal to get achieved, however I believe we’re additionally ready for no matter it takes for that to occur, whereas additionally understanding that we would like a 2026 season,” Ogwumike instructed ESPN. “We need to make it possible for that season is the way in which that it may be finest for us to place the product on the courtroom and for that product to be valued.”
The gamers voted on the strike authorization all through the week, with 93% of gamers collaborating and 98% voting sure. The vote doesn’t imply a strike is imminent; relatively, it offers the WNBPA’s seven-person government committee the power to vote on whether or not to strike ought to or not it’s deemed mandatory.
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Ogwumike referred to as the vote a “image of our unity and the arrogance that we’ve in one another to have the ability to give ourselves some degree of authority in these negotiations.”
“This implies we might presumably strike if we have to, nevertheless it does not imply that we would like that to occur,” Ogwumike stated. “However we’ve it in our arsenal to ensure that us to get precisely what we want, which is a good deal that represents our price in a really significant means.”
A piece stoppage, both a strike from the gamers or a lockout from the homeowners, has by no means occurred within the league’s practically 30-year historical past.
The gamers and league agreed to increase the present CBA and proceed talks by way of Jan. 9, the second extension determined upon for the reason that deal’s unique expiration date of Oct. 31. At the same time as the brand new deadline approaches, Ogwumike stated she does not really feel “like something has considerably modified in our conversations,” saying it virtually appears like negotiations are “a bit of their infancy.”
In accordance with a supply, the WNBA’s newest proposal contains an uncapped income sharing mannequin that will elevate most salaries above $1.3 million (a rise from $249,244 in 2025) and as much as practically $2 million over the lifetime of the deal; common salaries to above $530,000 (from $120,000 in 2025) and as much as greater than $770,000 over the lifetime of the deal; and minimal salaries to in extra of $250,000 within the first yr alone (up from $66,079 in 2025).
Though these figures are large will increase, Ogwumike says that the income sharing mannequin proposed by the league is “not sufficient, particularly with the extent of creativity and innovation from our aspect to try to meet them nearer to their aspect of the desk, as a result of that hasn’t been prolonged to us.”
The union has proposed a system the place gamers obtain about 30% of gross income, a supply instructed ESPN, as gamers have advocated for overhauling a system that, they’ve argued, has lengthy undervalued them. The league in the meantime proposed a income sharing system that granted gamers in extra of fifty% of internet income — amounting to lower than 15% of gross income, suggesting that though it desires to offer increased salaries, the WNBA requires a a lot increased proportion of income to cowl operation prices than different main professional leagues.
Gamers are additionally involved concerning the league looking for to remove team-provided housing, Ogwumike stated, in addition to a scarcity of infrastructure standardization.
Ogwumike additionally feels that there is room for better “collaboration and cohesiveness throughout the desk” three weeks away from the brand new deadline.
“I am hopeful,” Ogwumike stated. “I need to play, and I do know that I’ll get deal achieved on behalf of those gamers, together with the superb management of this government committee. So I am wanting ahead to seeing how conversations could be extra collaborative.”