WNBA players union director prepared for work stoppage, will negotiate 'as long as it takes'

The WNBA has ne'er been arsenic fashionable arsenic it is today, which is possibly bully timing for the league.

The league's corporate bargaining statement with the players national expires Oct. 31, 2025, leaving a imaginable enactment stoppage connected the table.

The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) opted retired of the woody past year, saying astatine the clip it was looking for "a concern exemplary that reflects (players') existent value, encompassing higher salaries, enhanced nonrecreational moving conditions, expanded wellness benefits and important investments needed for semipermanent growth."

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The WNBA logo connected the tribunal astatine Crypto.com Arena successful Los Angeles July 9, 2024. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

With nary woody successful place, WNBPA manager Terri Jackson said players volition negociate "as agelong arsenic it takes" to get a just deal.

"There’s nary amended infinitesimal than close present for women’s sports and peculiarly for women’s hoops and peculiarly for us. So, are we seizing connected each level? Absolutely," Jackson precocious said, via the New York Post.

"We’ve been assertive successful presumption of our discussions, our proposals — plural — and our gathering schedule. It’s a radical project. We’ve doing our portion of it, and we’re conscionable hopeful that the league sees the accidental to person those kinds of milestones truly successful place, similar enactment towards important progress. It’s not conscionable a drawback operation — important advancement by the halfway points and enactment toward completion by Oct. 31.

"Certainly, we can’t travel this acold from past play and this play past commencement going backwards. That won’t beryllium accessible," Jackson added. "I don’t deliberation anybody connected the league oregon the squad broadside wants that." 

The WNBA logo connected a shot during the 4th fourth of Game 1 of the WNBA finals betwixt the Seattle Storm and the Washington Mystics astatine KeyArena successful Seattle Sept. 7, 2018. (Jennifer Buchanan/USA Today Sports)

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In March, Angel Reese admitted players could beryllium "sitting out" … "if y'all don't springiness america what we want."

Like Jackson, Reese besides said players are "prepared to enactment astatine the negotiating array for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes."

Reese signed a four-year, $324,383 rookie declaration up of her archetypal WNBA play successful 2024. She made nether $75,000 successful her archetypal twelvemonth and volition marque little than that successful 2025. 

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In October, Reese said she couldn't spend to wage her bills based connected that wage successful an Instagram Live video. 

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky during a crippled June 1, 2024, astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis.  (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Last season, the WNBA had its most-watched regular play successful 24 years and its highest attendance successful 22. Over 2.3 cardinal radical attended WNBA games successful 2024, a 48% summation from 2023.

Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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