Camille Naredo

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty wears a shirt saying "Pay us what you owe us" prior to the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Steph Chambers, Getty Images/AFP

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 19: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty wears a shirt saying "Pay us what you owe us" prior to the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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.   Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Steph Chambers / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

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AT&T WNBA All-Star Game 2025

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756187391332AFP__20250720__2226196325__v4__HighRes__AtTWnbaAllStarGame2025.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty wears a shirt saying &quot;Pay us what you owe us&quot; prior to the 2025 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Steph Chambers, Getty Images/AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty wears a shirt saying &quot;Pay us what you owe us&quot; prior to the 2025 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. <em>Steph Chambers, Getty Images/AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>NEW YORK -- Revitalized by Caitlin Clark and other stars and boosted by a new media rights deal, the WNBA is struggling to reach a union deal 60 days before the deadline.</p><p>Women&#x27;s National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told sports business website Front Office Sports in a story published Monday that the union feels a lack of urgency from the league in reaching a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).</p><p>That could force the sides to try and extend the current October 31 deadline to make a deal but it could also herald a labor shutdown and lockout, in lieu of a deal.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/3/18/elite-womens-sport-revenue-to-top-2-billion-deloitte-0058">READ: Elite women&#x27;s sport revenue to top $2 billion -- Deloitte</a></div><p>&quot;The players are working diligently to achieve a transformational CBA that builds on the growth, momentum, and positive news surrounding women&#x27;s sports and the W,&quot; Jackson told Front Office Sports in a statement.</p><p>&quot;As we approach the 60-day mark, the league&#x27;s lack of urgency leaves players wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out the clock. Fans do not want that. They are with the players in demanding a new standard for the W.&quot;</p><p>Players made their own statement while warming up at last month&#x27;s WNBA All-Star Game, wearing black shirts with white lettering that said, &quot;Pay Us What You Owe Us,&quot; in regards to the labor talks.</p><p>Clark, who in 2024 became the all-time leading scorer in US college basketball history for men or women, signed with the WNBA&#x27;s Indiana Fever and is in her second season with the club, which has been at the heart of record viewership and attendance figures for the 13-team league, which began play in 1997.</p><p>That led to the WNBA getting $200 million a season starting next year as part of an 11-year media rights deal worth $2.2 billion the NBA signed with Disney, Amazon and NBCUniversal. That begins next year.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/8/3/wnba-players-slam-sex-toys-thrown-onto-court-1637">READ: WNBA players slam sex toys thrown onto court</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Five new teams to come -</strong></div><p>The WNBA will also receive record fees for expansion teams in Portland and Toronto, set to begin play in 2026, and others worth $250 million each for Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia that will take the court by 2030.</p><p>The current WNBA regular season will last until September 11 with the playoffs lasting until October 19 at the latest.</p><p>Both sides could agree to extend the deadline to avoid a work stoppage and continue talks, as they did in 2019 to set the stage for a new deal in early 2020.</p><p>The league must hammer out details of an expansion draft in the labor talks, with a new contract needed to settle free agency and expansion details.</p><p>And while the 2025 playoffs are not threatened, a strike or lockout is also a possibility if no deal is made by the end of October.</p><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/4/1/valkyries-aim-to-build-on-wnba-s-record-popularity-in-debut-season-0143">READ: Valkyries aim to build on WNBA&#x27;s record popularity in debut season</a></div><p>There are also two rival leagues to consider, who could offer top WNBA talent other options without a new union contract.</p><p>Priorities for the union in making a transitional WNBA deal include improved revenue sharing, benefits such as better plane travel, expanded rosters and improved workplace standards.</p><p>The first in-person talks came during All-Star Game weekend last month in Indianapolis, but union vice presidents Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier described them as a waste of time due to big differences over revenue sharing.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Players made their own statement while warming up at last month's WNBA All-Star Game, wearing black shirts with white lettering that said, "Pay Us What You Owe Us," in regards to the labor talks.</p>

Players made their own statement while warming up at last month's WNBA All-Star Game, wearing black shirts with white lettering that said, "Pay Us What You Owe Us," in regards to the labor talks.

WNBA could face lockout as union deal deadline looms

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WNBA could face lockout as union deal deadline looms

Agence France-Presse

Published August 26, 2025 01:52 PM PHT

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