As Caitlin Clark arrived at Duke University in Durham, N.C, alongside numerous other prominent American women’s basketball stars like Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, the Hawkeye legend shared her opinion on the WNBA’s ongoing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations in her media availability on Dec. 12.
Clark, whose global recognition and marketability have been crucial to the league’s record-breaking growth over the past couple of seasons, shared that she understands the astronomical importance of these negotiations to the WNBA’s future, but also expressed that the players will not stop fighting for what they deserve and that the fans’ crave for a on-court product is what truly determines the value of the league.
“I think the most important thing for myself, thinking about these negotiations like this is the biggest moment that WNBA has ever seen. And it’s not something that can be messed up, and we’re (the players) going to fight for everything that we deserve, but at the same time, like, we need to play basketball, Clark said.
“That’s what our fans crave, and that’s what all of you crave as well. You want the product on the floor. And at the end of the day, that’s how you make the money. That’s how your market is. That’s what the fans get excited about. That’s what the fans want to show up for. It’s a business, and it’s a negotiation, and there has to be a compromise on both sides.”
Clark continued on that point, stating that she has tried to educate herself on the complexities of the finer details of the negotiations, while reiterating the importance of having a season open in the Spring for not only the players but also the fans.
We’re starting to get down to the wire of it, and it’s become really important. Obviously, I want to help in any way I can, and I try to educate myself the best I can. Obviously, I can’t speak to every single member. It’s pretty complicated, but I think there are different things that we can find ways to say, like, ‘we certainly deserve that’, and ‘we can compromise on that’, and then other things that we can’t probably compromise on.
But like I said, like, this is the biggest moment in the history of the WNBA, and I don’t want that to be lost. It’s important that we find a way to play this next season, and I think our fans, even everybody that has played in this league that has come before us, deserve that as well.
As of Dec. 14, the league and the WNBA Players Association are still a ways apart in negotiations, but have made some progress in ironing out rules for the upcoming WNBA expansion draft. It’s important to note that the expansion draft cannot occur until a new CBA has been ratified.
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Meanwhile, Clark will continue her offseason training, while also working with Team USA as she prepares for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and another potential WNBA season with the Indiana Fever.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Caitlin Clark comments on the state of the WNBA’s CBA negotiations
