The 2025 season is a massive one for the WNBA for a few reasons. The league is in the midst of a surge in popularity that has led to six new expansion teams, including the Golden State Valkyries who are in their inaugural season currently, and just secured a new national TV rights deal as part of the NBA’s broader contract.
That means money is flowing into the W at a rate never seen before and the players want to ensure they are getting their fair share. Prior to the season, WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike laid out some of the biggest focal points for the players in negotiations, including codifying charter travel and an increase in the share of revenue that goes to the players. However, the preseason optimism that the two sides would be able to work out an agreement that both parties were happy with has waned on the players’ side after receiving the WNBA’s first proposal.
Satou Sabally called it “a slap in the face” when talking to reporters on Tuesday, and Breanna Stewart echoed that sentiment on Thursday by saying it felt like the players were “ignored” by the WNBA’s initial offer.
“Absolutely frustrated,” Stewart said of negotiations, via Owen Pence. “Anytime you go back-and-forth, you’re not expecting to hear that ‘yes’ on the first [proposal], but you’re expecting to have a conversation. They kind of just ignored everything we said.”
Those are not the kind of updates fans were hoping to hear, but also not all that surprising at this stage of the negotiation process. The owners know the stakes of these negotiations just as much as the players, and they’re hoping to secure as much of the incoming wave of revenue as possible. As talks continue throughout the season, we’ll see whether there’s a change in the players’ sentiment and if they believe progress is being made.
If not, there is always the potential of a work stoppage. WNBA players seem fully aligned on the issues and have an apparently tight union when it comes to reaching a consensus on what is acceptable and what isn’t. The owners also have their priorities and we’ll see what the give and take is to reach an ultimate conclusion on a deal, as well as whether they can get it done without an interruption to the 2026 calendar.
