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Stephen A.’s advice to WNBA players for CBA negotiations (1:32)
Stephen A. Smith gives his take on how the WNBA players’ association should approach its CBA dispute with the league. (1:32)
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Alexa PhilippouFeb 23, 2026, 06:11 PM ET
- Covers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
The WNBA told the WNBPA and its teams on Monday that a new collective bargaining agreement must be agreed to by March 10 for the 2026 schedule not to be impacted, sources told ESPN.
The WNBA — represented by league staff, the league’s labor relations committee and owners — and over 50 players met virtually Monday morning for the second bargaining session this month involving players, sources told ESPN. In addition to the league sharing the March 10 date, the two sides continued conversing over their conflicting positions amid the now 16-month-long CBA talks.
The WNBPA is planning to meet with leadership to discuss next steps, which include a response to the league’s most recent proposal from Friday.
The league also met with general managers later Monday afternoon to share the March 10 date. It is thought to be the first deadline of sorts the league has provided players and teams as negotiations have dragged on and already disrupted the offseason.
Even once a deal is agreed upon, it could take weeks to formally ratify. The WNBA still needs to conduct a two-team expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire and hold free agency for 80% of the league.
Training camp is currently slated to begin April 19, with the college draft scheduled for April 13. The regular season is supposed to tip on May 8.
“Often, things tend to get done at the 11th hour,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said of the WNBA talks at NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 14. “We’re getting awfully close to the 11th hour when it comes to bargaining.”
The two sides still do not see eye to eye on how a new revenue sharing system should work, which has been the primary holdup in negotiations. Housing, which has long been provided by teams but was not originally in the league’s proposals, has also been a major flash point.
Earlier Monday, the union told ESPN’s Katie Barnes that the WNBA generated enough revenue in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing with its players, and that $9.25 million from licensing revenue will also be divvied out to players.
“This shows our value and how what we’re fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting,” WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner told Barnes.
