Lynx’s Courtney Williams makes explosive WNBA CBA allegations as talks remain stagnant originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In 17 days, the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement will expire, barring another extension of the 2020 agreement.
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The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association reportedly remain far apart on the terms of a new CBA. The players are continuing to push for a revenue-sharing model that is similar to the one that their NBA counterparts enjoy — and according to one WNBA All-Star guard, the league is not making sufficient progress in negotiations.
In a stance she characterized as “mind-boggling,” Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams alleged that the WNBA wants to “pay themselves first” while leaving 30 percent of revenue for the players to split with the league.
“They want to pay themselves first, and whatever is left, they want us to split that with them, which leaves less than 15 percent (of revenue) for the players,” Williams said Tuesday on the Studbudz stream she runs with Lynx teammate Natisha Hiedeman.
These figures are consistent with reporting that the WNBA has proposed revenue sharing at 15 percent that would decrease over the life of a new CBA — which has left the players’ union unimpressed, even as the league has proposed maximum salaries north of $1 million.
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For Williams, the salary means little when Napheesa Collier, the Lynx’s All-WNBA superstar forward, would still make less money than the league’s head coaches.
“They still want to pay coaches more than they pay an A’ja Wilson or a Napheesa Collier,” Williams said. “They want to pay the coaches and all their expenses first.”
The 2020 CBA expires on Jan. 9, and the league’s calendar already has been affected by the slow-moving talks, as the incoming Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo still do not know when an expansion draft to fill their rosters will be held.
In short, it seems there remains some way to go before the WNBA and the WNBPA find common ground on a new CBA. The WNBPA already has authorized its executive committee to call for a strike “when necessary.” Time is running out.
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