Overview

• Multiple outlets report the sides are far apart, and sources indicate a deadline extension is expected to avert an immediate lockout or strike.
• WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson criticized the league’s pace and reaffirmed players’ push for a transformational agreement.
• The central dispute is revenue sharing and what counts as team revenue, with players seeking pay that grows with business gains such as the $2.2 billion media-rights deal and record expansion fees, while the league has floated a fixed share.
• Negotiators reconvened in New York last week, the union submitted a new proposal, and executive committee secretary Elizabeth Williams said the late-October target is “probably not going to happen.”
• Expansion and offseason logistics heighten pressure, as Toronto and Portland are set for 2026 and both the expansion draft and a free agency class covering more than 80% of players require a new CBA.