The clock is ticking on the WNBA’s collective bargaining negotiations, and Tuesday marked what could be one of the most consequential days in the process. The league’s self-imposed deadline approaches as the 2026 season’s May 8 start date hangs in the balance. Both sides now make an effort to meet face to face in what an insider describes as a “potentially pivotal meeting”. The gap between the two parties remains significant, with the road ahead being anything but straightforward.
WNBA and WNBPA Sit Down as Deadline Pressure Mounts
Front Office Sports insider Annie Costabile reported the development, tweeting that she was on site at The Langham in midtown Manhattan, where the WNBA and WNBPA had begun what sources described as a potentially pivotal meeting.
On the league’s side were Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, head of league operations Bethany Donaphin, and New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai. Representing the players were executive council members Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike, Alysha Clark, and Brianna Turner, along with WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson and other union staff.
On site at The Langham where the WNBA and WNBPA just began what’s been described as a potentially pivotal meeting in CBA negotiations.
WNBA leadership, Liberty Owner Clara Wu Tsai, WNBPA staff and counsel, Breanna Stewart, Alysha Clark, Nneka Ogwumike and Bri Turner are among…
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) March 10, 2026
The meeting comes amid intensifying negotiations. The league had identified March 10 as the target date for a handshake agreement, the minimum needed to keep the season on schedule. Without one, the entire calendar faces disruption: the expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto, scheduled for April 1-6; free agency beginning April 7; training camps opening April 19; and the preseason tipping off April 25. All of it is contingent on a deal getting done.
Revenue sharing remains the central sticking point. here. The WNBPA has pushed for 26% of gross revenue over the life of the deal, down from an opening ask of 40%. The league, meanwhile, has offered more than 70% of net revenue, a figure that, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, amounts to less than 15% of gross revenue. Both sides are not close, at least not on paper.
Players United, But Time Is Running Out
The in-person meeting was something players had been publicly calling for. Caitlin Clark had been direct about it at USA Basketball training camp over the weekend. “I don’t understand why we don’t just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands,” she said. “That’s how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides.” Stewart echoed the sentiment, adding, “If that means sitting in there for hours and hours at a time, let’s do it.”
Beyond the revenue split, the union has held firm on league-funded housing for all players as a non-negotiable priority. It’s a benefit the WNBA has provided since 1999, before taking it off the table early in negotiations. The league’s $5.75 million salary cap offer has also not moved the needle enough for the players’ side.
Internally, there were brief signs of tension after a private letter from Stewart and Kelsey Plum raised concerns about the bargaining process. But the union quickly reaffirmed its solidarity. “In every CBA negotiation, the goal of the league and teams is to divide the players,” the WNBPA said in a statement. “These negotiations are no different. We remain united and focused on delivering a transformational CBA.”
With less than 60 days to the season opener and over 100 players in free agency awaiting clarity, the pressure to deliver has never been greater.
