“We won’t play another minute until something changes,” — that’s the shocking ultimatum rocking the WNBA tonight as the league faces a total shutdown within just 24 hours, with Caitlin Clark and her teammates leading the rebellion that could rewrite women’s basketball history — click the link to see what’s really happening. bb
THE WNBA is drawing dangerously close to the expiration of its CBA.
Both sides have been fiercely negotiating a deal as the October 31 deadline looms ahead.
The WNBA is just 24 hours away from going into a lockoutCredit: Getty
Neither the WNBA or the players have come close to accepting a dealCredit: Getty
With such little time remaining, the league has proposed a 30-day extension to allow for further negotiation of the collective bargaining agreement.
Sources revealed to Front Office Sports that the players could accept an extension “under the right circumstances.”
“Those circumstances do not yet exist,” the source said.
A CBA extension is not without precedent.
In 2019 the WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a 60-day extension that allowed the current CBA to be ratified ahead of free agency.
This year, a 30-day extension would allow the league to ratify a new CBA in time for the expansion draft for the Toronto Temp and Portland Fire in December.
However, there is no guarantee that this happens.
CBA negotiations can continue even without one in place, and players hold more leverage the longer it goes on.
A work stoppage could come into play if no CBA is agreed to by the time the 2026 season rolls around.
WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin D, Drake already said that no deal would be reached by Friday’s deadline.
She also claimed that the league lacked urgency in negotiations.
A league spokesperson said a proposal was made on October 1 and the WNBPA responded to it on Monday, according to FOS.
According to FOS, the most recent proposal from the league included a supermax deal near $850,000.
A veteran minimum was included at around $300,000.
However, it didn’t revise the current revenue-sharing model much, and included incentives that needed to be triggered by hitting targets.
Revenue-sharing also only included league office revenue and not team revenue.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told FOS that the proposed system would only give players a “piece of the pie.”
With all of this information, it seems likely that the WNBA is headed for a lockout.
