The possibility of the 2026 WNBA season being delayed is growing with each passing day. It has been over a year since the WNBPA and the league sat down to forge a new CBA, but even after so much time, there is no agreement in sight. So with the negotiations dragging into the second month of this year, the union’s vice-president, Breanna Stewart, has found herself at the center of one of the most complicated moments because of the multiple hats she is wearing.
Back in 2025, Stewart joined hands with Napheesa Collier to start a new 3×3 league for women’s basketball players to give them an option to earn in the off-season while staying in the States. As the VP of the WNBPA and a co-owner of Unrivaled, Stewart is now facing growing scrutiny, with many claiming that she might have a conflict of interest. But on Monday, she finally addressed the criticism head-on.
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Speaking on theGame Recognize Game, a recently launched podcast by the New York Liberty star with NBA center Myles Turner, Stewart made her stance clear on the perceived tension between the WNBA and Unrivaled.
“I know a lotta people are kinda like hating about (me) being a part of Unrivaled and also trying to negotiate the WNBA, but it’s like, I want two things to both be successful,” Breanna Stewart said. “And literally that’s how I’m looking at it. I’m looking at this from a pure business standpoint and how things can be great for everyone. The only thing that Unrivaled is showing is positive. When you show players on social media, or in games, or wherever the case may be, people watch. So we cannot have that for our summer season in the WNBA.”
The WNBPA opted out of the previous CBA in order to get better salaries and a revenue-sharing system that would reflect the league’s rapid growth. And while the latest offer from the league will make players’ income rise significantly, the union believes that 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 roughly $220,000 in 2025, a figure that has reportedly been increased in 2026, whereas the average WNBA salary sits near $120,000.
Though the league is now offering max salaries close to $1.3 million in 2026, with average salaries at $540,000, the players want more, as they don’t want to settle for a deal that wouldn’t age well amid the WNBA’s growth.
That disparity has only fueled claims from critics who argue Breanna Stewart’s involvement on both sides presents a conflict of interest. But from her perspective, Unrivaled isn’t competition, it’s proof of concept, something in which her partner, Collier, believes in as well.
Napheesa Collier Points to Unrivaled as a Benchmark the WNBA Should Study
Back on January 5, during Unrivaled’s second season opening day, Napheesa Collier, who is sidelined 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 working example that the WNBA should look to if it wants to understand how a league can be run.
“I think you’ve heard a lot of chatter about 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 makes that happen, they need to put people in place who can. Because we’ve proven that it is possible. There is a way. And we’re thriving in that.”
From player compensation to visibility and operational efficiency, the offseason league has shown the world that a player-first model can function without sacrificing sustainability.
Although the WNBA and the WNBPA met on Monday for the first time in months, no breakthrough was reached. The in-person meeting, which Breanna Stewart attended virtually, allowed both players and owners to engage in open conversations and ask questions directly. And if that stalemate continues, a delay to the upcoming season would be inevitable.
