The WNBA's CBA clock is ticking louder than ever as less than 48 hours remain until the January 9 deadline hits. The league and the WNBPA have been in conversation since the players opted out last fall. However, with reports indicating that the league and the WNBPA are still on the same page, the players' association made a telling move on social media.

Out of nowhere, the WNBPA dropped a slick power move yesterday, swapping their Instagram profile picture to an hourglass. It has sand slipping away, showing time running out.

It's a not-so-subtle jab at the league's resistance to their latest proposal, submitted nearly two weeks back. The core fight comes down to money and how it's split. The WNBPA wants about 30% of gross league revenue. Which means pushing for a salary cap of around $10.5 million.

However, the WNBA isn't keen on accepting that proposal. Specifically, the league claims the WNBPA’s proposal would result in $700 million in losses over the life of the deal.

So the league has fired back with its own offer. It includes max contracts topping $1.3 million in a year, which means $1 million base salary plus revenue share. With average pay over $530,000, and minimums above $250,000 under an uncapped sharing model. Which could eventually hit 70% of net revenue.

Now that's a jump from today's  $250,000 and average near $130,000. But the union calls it "lipstick on a pig," as per ESPN.

Meanwhile, just yesterday, Breanna Stewart threw a fresh update into the mix during a quick podcast spot. 

Stewart Breaks Silence as CBA Talks Hit

Players gave the WNBPA exec committee power of attorney, basically saying, "Handle it." The league and union were deadlocked, but Breanna Stewart, the VP, just gave us a spark of hope.

Talking to Ballislife, Stewart said, "These next three days? Brutal. But I'm super confident we'll close the deal. It's a drag it's taken forever, yet we're close to flipping the script and hashing out all the sticky stuff."

And recently, three days back, there was no clue whether a deal was happening. Then Napheesa Collier, Stewart's Unrivaled cofounder and teammate, made it to Good Morning America. Where she said, "We're stalled out. Deadline's days away." That didn't ease any nerves.

Thus, Stewart's words at this time are a total relief. But still, one can't be sure since the CBA fight rolls on.

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi