After two extensions, the WNBA and the WNBPA met in person in NY City for the first time since the fall to negotiate. The meeting lasted roughly three hours, with attendees slowly trickling out afterwards.

No new proposal for both parties to negotiate upon. That’s because the WNBA did not present a counterproposal during the meeting. The league only said it would begin drafting an official response to the players’ proposal.

“They volunteered that they did not have a proposal prepared at the top of the meeting,” Nneka Ogwumike told Front Office Sports on Monday. “That kind of set the tone for the conversation because we were hoping to hear otherwise.”

The two parties dedicated three hours to explaining their recent proposals' underlying reasoning. They connected directly and asked questions. 

Nneka Ogwumike, Alysha Clark, Brianna Turner, and Stefanie Dolson led the players’ side in person. Meanwhile, 40 others, including Kelsey Plum, Napheesa Collier, Brianna Stewart, and Elizabeth Williams, joined via Zoom. On the league’s side it was Commissioner Cathy Engelber, members of the labor relations committee and franchise owners. 

So the latest offer on the table remains W’s December proposal, which includes a supermax salary of $1.3 million and an average salary exceeding $530,000. However, those figures rely on projected earnings from the league’s proposed NET revenue-sharing model. And that’s exactly what players are unwilling to accept.

Where Does the WNBPA Stand?

The WNBPA is seeking a salary cap of approximately $10.5 million and a GROSS revenue-sharing model. In addition to revenue sharing, housing, retirement benefits, and professional standards remain three of the union’s top priorities.

And, while players have largely stood united, ESPN reported a “strong debate” within the WNBPA’s seven-member executive committee. One group favors holding firm on the revenue-sharing model, while another is reportedly less inclined to pursue a strike.

However, both Ogwumike and Clark pushed back against the idea of division. “I don’t think there’s been fracturing,” Clark told Front Office Sports. “As the executive committee, our job is to have these tough conversations behind closed doors. To hash through it all, because it’s a lot. It’s complicated. There are so many things on the table. Having discussions doesn’t equal fracturing.”

Still, both players expressed frustration over what they described as a lack of urgency from the W, especially after the failure to present a counterproposal. They also emphasized that the union’s stance on a potential strike, already authorized by players, has not changed. So what do you think? What’s next? 

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Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Joyita Das