Hours before the WNBA and WNBPA’s second CBA extension expires, the two sides are still nowhere close to finding a common ground, and Breanna Stewart made that much clear.
Speaking to ESPN on Thursday after practice at Unrivaled, the New York Liberty star and players’ union vice president confirmed that the league and players’ union will not agree to an extension before the deadline; instead, they will be moving into a “status quo” period while the negotiations will continue.
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“We are not coming to an agreement by tomorrow, I can tell you that,” Stewart said. “We’re just going to continue to negotiate in good faith.”
The update comes amid ongoing tension between the league and the players over core economic issues, most notably revenue sharing. While the league favors a model tied to net revenue, the union has pushed for a share of gross revenue, arguing players shouldn’t be paid last for a business they power.
While back in December, players authorized union leadership to potentially initiate a strike if talks stall or they feel the league is not being fair, Stewart acknowledged that option remains available, though they do not plan on playing that card right now.
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“(It’s) not something that we’re going to do right this second,” she said. “But we have that in our back pocket.”
League sources have indicated there has been no discussion of a lockout either, and both sides remain confident a deal will be reached in time for the 2026 season.
This is a developing story…
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