Four days left! Ten days have passed since the league set a March 10 CBA target to avoid a delayed WNBA season. Yet no deal is in sight. Instead, the union’s previously unified front appears to be showing cracks. So what’s behind the divide?

It depends on whom you ask. According to Terri Jackson, the responsibility lies with the league. In a recent interview with Front Office Sports at the union’s headquarters in New York, the executive director addressed concerns about player frustration.

“I hear the frustration,” Jackson said. “I hear the emotions and the range of them as a result of the league putting pressure on the players, the league dragging this out. The one thing I said to the players is they have one tool, and their tool is to outwait you.”

Her comments follow tense negotiations between the WNBA and the union.  The tension began to surface after a heated player meeting on February 24. 

A day later, a group of player agents sent a letter to the union’s executive director requesting access to the league’s proposal. Then came another letter wherein Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart reportedly raised concerns about CBA negotiations. They also pointed to the lack of progress as the March deadline approaches.

Well, from Jackson’s perspective, the league has slowed the process. For instance, the WNBA reportedly did not engage with the December proposal from the union for nearly six weeks. When both sides finally met in person on February 2 after the stalemate, they arrived without a counterproposal.

The accelerated pace of recent negotiations has left some players feeling there has been less communication. Still, the union believes it has taken steps to address internal concerns.

How did the WNBPA respond?

The union conducted a survey to gauge player sentiment that remained open for four days and drew responses from 114 players.

According to the WNBPA, 84% of respondents supported continuing negotiations aimed at securing a higher share of league revenue.

However, some sources questioned the way the survey questions were framed. Critics suggested the wording may have influenced the results.

But Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham defended the survey process. “They were trying to allow people to fully understand what this means,” she told Front Office Sports. “If you say yes, this is what it means. If you say no, this is what it means. So I personally was O.K. with how the questions were asked.”

For now, the union plans to continue pushing for a larger share of league revenue. Whether that leads to a breakthrough or a delayed WNBA season remains to be seen. What's your prediction for the outcome?

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Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi