What's Going On With The WNBA
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 9: Lindsay Whalen #13, Maya Moore #23, Rebekkah Brunson #32, and Seimone Augustus #33 of the Minnesota Lynx attend a press conference before the game against the Dallas Wings on July 9, 2016 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Anyone who knows the history of womenâs sports fully grasps the idea that the personal is, indeed, political.
Itâs because women in sports, much like women in society, have always had to struggle for basic rights, dignity and legitimacy. Therefore, it has become an obligation for women in sports to call out injustice as they see it. They havenât been given the privilege to just âstick to sportsâ like their male counterparts.
Another such example of this reality came to fruition this week when various professional womenâs basketball players, once again, spoke up for justice in light of the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the hands of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
While competing for Mist BC in the second season of Unrivaled in Miami, the New York Libertyâs Breanna Stewart walked out during player introductions with a sign reading âABOLISH ICE.â The recent tragedies hit even closer to home for her because her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, with whom she has two children, is an immigrant from Spain and whoâs on a green card.
âI was just disgusted from everything that you see on Instagram and in the news,â Stewart said to ESPN. âWeâre so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of âABOLISH ICE,â which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence.â
Before games on Jan. 25, Unrivaled also held a moment of silence. From there, the floodgates opened as a more WNBA/Unrivaled players weighed in.
Brianna Turner, who recently played with the Indiana Fever, posted on social media, âThe minority that are still defending ICE will forever be on the wrong side of history.â
The Chicago Skyâs Angel Reese posted, âPraying for our countryâ
During a post-shootaround media availability ahead of Unrivaledâs Friday night games in Philadelphia, WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, a native from Minnesota who plays for the Dallas Wings and Breeze BC, shared the following:
It hits a little bit home for me because Iâm from there.
Itâs unfortunate. Honestly, Iâve grown up seeing, and been a part of, peaceful protests, marches and the community coming together because of tragic events. Innocent lives are being taken, innocent families are being broken apart. People are afraid to send their children to school; people are afraid to go to work and provide for their family; people are afraid to go to the grocery store.
Whatâs going on is not OK. We hope and pray thereâs a change in direction from where this is heading.
Another Minnesotan, Rachel Banham of the Chicago Sky and Lunar Owls BC, expressed her appreciation for how the environment of Unrivaled creating space to speak out, saying:
Itâs a league comprising minorities, women of color, and weâre never scared to speak on anything and represent though who donât have a voice. And thatâs always really cool to be a part of. Iâm not the most vocal person, but Iâm really proud to just be a part of people who are and I get to learn from them and learn from each other.
Male athletes and coaches have not been totally silent, with the likes of NBA stars Tyrese Haliburton, Steph Curry and Victor Wembanyama, and well as head coach Steve Kerr, condemning ICE and/or supporting the people of Minneapolis.
But WNBA players were, right from the jump, leading the charge, which is nothing new.
Since the WNBA began in 1997, players have used their platform to push for social change at every opportunity. Racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, pay equity (including the ongoing CBA negotiations), reproductive rights, immigrantsâ rights. You name it, and WNBA players have advocated for it.
The players not only represent, but fully exist, at those intersections. Usually, it is their voices that spark a movement, even if they usually donât get the credit.
Almost a decade ago, in July of 2016 and again in Minneapolis, the nation learned about the police killing of Philando Castile, which occurred around the same time as the killing of Alton Sterling by police in Louisiana, along with the killings of five police officers in Dallas, TX.
It was then that players in the WNBA used their platform to call for change. It was the Minnesota Lynx, led by Maya Moore, who put forward a call to action for athletes and others to do their part in creating a more equitable and just world.
That was a month before then San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. History records Kaepernick as being the catalyst for a new wave of athlete activism, but it was actually the players in the WNBA who were on the frontlines first.
Fast forward to the Summer of 2020, where COVID shut everything down and the world witnessed the police murder of George Floyd, once again in Minneapolis. Given that athletes had more time on their hands, they not only tweeted, but they also marched. Natasha Cloud, then of the Washington Mystics, and Renee Montgomery, then with the Atlanta Dream, sat out the 2020 season to be in the trenches.
Those that played in the Wubble made sure to center the names of not only George Floyd, but also Breonna Taylor, a paramedic who was killed by police in her home in Louisville, KY in March 2020, and other Black women that were killed under similar circumstances.
They evoked the cry of âSay Her Nameâ loud and proud. Furthermore, all 144 players galvanized themselves around voting and civic engagement to complement their pleas for justice.
That enabled them to help spur a political sea change in the state of Georgia, where their efforts helped get Rev. Raphael Warnock to the United States Senate over then-Dream owner Kelly Loeffler, who is currently the administrator of the Small Business Administration. This was after Loeffler made disparaging comments about the Black Lives Matter movement. Loeffler not only lost her Senate seat, but also the Dream. In 2021, Montgomery was part of the new ownership group that took over the franchise.
One year later, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1971 landmark ruling that granted constitutional protections on reproductive rights, players spoke out when the larger sports world went back to business as usual.
So, it goes to show that where we are now is where we always have been when it comes to WNBA players. The players have consistently met the moment, compelling others to follow their lead.
Itâs been said that we are now at an inflection point, but will there be any action? WNBA players have been putting out a call to action for years, and yet complacency triumphs over courage.
Courage needs to be the new precedent.
Credits: Imagn ©Credits: ImagnItâs obvious that the WNBA and the WNBPA need to compromise on the upcoming CBA. âThatâs literally what a negotiation is,â one player told ESPN. However, itâs been more than a year at the negotiating table, and we are still looking at an agreement through a telescope. Despite understanding the need for compromise, each side is currently sticking to its guns. So much so that the WNBA is ignoring the WNBPAâs latest proposal.
The divide remains in revenue sharing. The players have reportedly proposed a 30% of net revenue, which is profit before expenses. On the other hand, the league is offering 70% of the gross revenue. That was almost a month ago. One would think the sides would have improved to getting that number somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, they are exactly where they were at the time, as the WNBA has not even bothered to send its reply.
âThe Womenâs National Basketball Players Association is still awaiting an official response from the league since sending it a proposal a month ago,â reported Alexa Phillippou of ESPN. âThe league believes the proposal didnât warrant a response, since it wasnât that different from the past ones the union has submitted â and instead, sources told ESPN, itâs waiting for the players to submit what it would consider a more ârealisticâ proposal.â
With the 2026 tip-off date of May 8 around 3 months away, the mood around the 2026 season is getting gloomier. The WNBPA has already conducted a vote to grant the leadership the power to call a strike when necessary. The fans are feeling helpless amid these ongoing negotiations and the lack of updates, as many have turned to criticising the WNBPA.
Tables Turn On The WNBPA As Latest CBA Proposal BackfiresâAsking for way too much,â wrote a fan. âShot themselves in the foot lol,â pitched in another. You wouldnât have expected a comment like this just a couple of months ago. You could have, but those fans would have been a minority. Slowly but surely, fatigue has caught up. Some fans no longer sympathise with the WNBPA. Because, in their perception, it is the WNBPA that is now holding up the negotiations. The league has offered the players record salaries of $1 million +, including revenue sharing. That should be enough, according to some fans. In addition, the WNBA has reportedly deduced that the WNBPA proposal can cause losses of $700 million.
Rebecca Lobo already warned the players of this arising sentiment. âAs these negotiations have gone on, it feels like some of (the fan support) is waning,â she said. âAnd I think some of it has just been the language and the verbiage and that sort of thing that weâve heard from the playersâ association.â The WNBPA leadership, which includes Nneka Ogwumike and Napheesa Collier, has stood its ground, but there are calls among the fan base to replace them.
The change matters for every player in the league, but to a different extent. At the absolute top of the earning table, players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and others are earning millions via their off-court deals. Sure, they deserve much higher salaries, but their banks arenât exactly empty right now either. On the other hand, the players on minimum salaries who are not as popular or anyone in the lower bands have to play an offseason league to get by. This salary bump matters most to them, and their heart will remain in their mouth until everything is signed and delivered.
âAt what point is a mediator brought in? The WNBA seems to be pretty unserious about trying to broker a new agreement,â asked a fan. NBA commissioner Adam Silver offered to be one. But after Silver said âshare isnât the right way to look at itâ and urged focusing on âabsolute numbers,â the WNBPA responded with hostility. In any case, he wouldnât be the ideal negotiator as the NBA has a significant stake in the WNBA. The players wonât look at him as a neutral party. Without a solution, we are heading to the worst possible scenario, a strike.
âHopefully, everyone involved understands that 2027 isnât gonna matter if thereâs no 2026 season. And whatever leverage the players have will cease to exist,â wrote a fan. âA lot of fans will be ok with it because theyâre fine with 3Ă3 reality tv hoops. Itâs gonna suck for the rest of us.â
This has a tinge of reality mixed with some heavy assumptions. If we donât have the 2026 season, the interest will be affected. In todayâs market, an average basketball fan wonât stand around and wait for the WNBA to sort things out. They will move away from the league, and the competitors are waiting as well. However, Project B could be thebeneficiary rather than Unrivaled.
It has the same 5v5 format as the WNBA, without the gimmicks and the funding to back it up. Ideally, each fan is hoping that the WNBA finds a way out of this precarious situation. What worries fans most isnât who wins the negotiation, itâs whether there will even be a 2026 season left to win.
The post WNBA Fans Spot New CBA Issue as League Reportedly Demands a âMore Realisticâ Proposal appeared first on EssentiallySports.
Lunar Owls v Breeze - Unrivaled 2026 | Tomas Diniz Santos/GettyImagesThis past weekend, Dominique Malonga threw down the first dunk of Unrivaled's second season, becoming just the second player in league history to dunk in a game after Brittney Griner. Malonga, a member of Unrivaled's Breeze BC, also plays for WNBA's Seattle Storm, and was selected second in the 2025 WNBA draft.
Despite hype surrounding her height and athleticism, the dunk marked a first for Malonga, who did not dunk in-game during her rookie season with the Storm.
"No, it feels really good. Really, I was practicing a lot. I was dunking all the time so I'm happy that I finally have one in game because I don't want to be a practice (dunker). I want to do that in games. So I'm happy about that," Malonga said postgame.
The dunk marks an exciting moment for Unrivaled and the women's game at large while highlighting a deeper tension: whether Unrivaled will solidify itself as an innovation hub within the women's basketball ecosystem or as a legitimate alternative to the WNBA.
Unrivaled could change the WNBA ... or it could replace itFrom the onset, Unrivaled promised a different type of basketball: a 3-on-3 game played on a mini full court (49.2-by-72 feet) compared to the W's regulation size (94-by-50 feet). The game is three seven minute quarters and a fourth quarter with "winning scoring" where 11 points are added to the leading team's score and both teams play to reach that point value. The game is supposed to be more fast-paced, with one free throw awarded no matter the nature of the foul, alternating possession instead of jump balls, and an 18 second shot clock (compared to the WNBA's 30 seconds). As Luke Cooper, the president of basketball operations at Unrivaled told ESPN, "The game is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid on a black top."
Unrivaled's format could open the door for serious late-game experimentation. The league could pilot a 9.5 foot rim for the fourth quarter, or incrementally pull players off the court and end with a one-on-one matchup. Alternatively, the league could keep play as is but experiment during an All-Star game. If Unrivaled demonstrates that these structural changes are feasible, they can gradually be adopted by more established leagues without risk. As an innovation hub, Unrivaled's value lies in its ability to experiment without destabilizing or delegitimizing women's basketball at large.
Unrivaled has also modeled a new relationship between league ownership and labor by more or less merging the two. The league was founded by two of its star players, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, and gives athletes equity in the league. Unrivaled also set a high bar for player compensation: in its first season, the average Unrivaled salary was around $220,000. For reference, the average salary in the WNBA's 2025 season was $102,249. In a typical year, Unrivaled's governance and labor structure give players a reference for what is possible. This year, that reference point has been converted into leverage in WNBA CBA negotiations as players point to Unrivaled as evidence that leagues can afford to pay players higher salaries without sacrificing league sustainability.
If the ongoing labor conflict between the WNBA and its players escalates to a full scale work stoppage, Unrivaled would not need to declare itself a WNBA competitor- it would become one in the vacuum created by a strike or a lockout. Though extending broadcasting deals and covering operational costs might pose a challenge, Phantom player Natasha Cloud suggested that Unrivaled could feasibly extend the season into the summer months because the league owns the arena where games are played. The league could transition to a 5-on-5 format and expand rosters with untapped WNBA and international talent.
In the event of a WNBA work stoppage, Unrivaled could expand its season, rosters, and format and then return to its original structure once the WNBA resumes. Ultimately, Unrivaled does not have to choose between innovation and competition. It can do both.
More women's basketball news and analysis:Valkyries, Tempo, Fire jersey releases: Which expansion team wore it best?Stephanie Okechukwu, Lauren Betts and the tallest women's basketball players everWhat NBA and WNBA players and coaches are saying about ICE homicides in Minnesota How Trinity Rodman's record-breaking NWSL deal will affect WNBA CBA negotiationsThis article was originally published on www.fansided.com as Is Unrivaled an innovation hub or the WNBA's biggest competitor?.
The WNBA and the playersâ union will meet in person in New York City on Monday for the first time since the fall amid stalled CBA negotiations. Talking to reporters at Unrivaled, Kelsey Plum said she and fellow union VP Napheesa Collier will travel to New York after their teams play each other in Miami on Sunday night. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike will be in attendance as well, along with the leagueâs CBA leadership, labor relations committee, and league and union staff, a source with direct knowledge of the meeting told Front Office Sports. The meeting will also include team owners.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The WNBA and the playersâ union will meet in person in âŠ