WNBA, union talks stretch to seventh straight day
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- WNBA and the players' union completed a bargaining session running from Sunday afternoon to roughly 3 a.m. Monday — their seventh straight day of talks and 72+ hours of in-person negotiations since Tuesday's opening session.
- Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the sides remain motivated and the eventual deal 'is going to be historic,' though she acknowledged 'it's complex' with many 'system' and 'structure' elements unresolved.
- Revenue sharing is a central sticking point: the union dropped its ask from 40% of gross revenue to 26%, while the league has offered more than 70% of net revenue — a gap rooted in competing gross-vs.-net definitions.
- Housing is the other flashpoint; the union proposed phasing out team-paid housing only for near-max-salary players in the final two CBA years, while the league proposed one more season of full housing, then limiting it to rookies, minimum-salary players, and two new developmental players for the entire agreement.
- Union president Nneka Ogwumike and other union leaders logged a 14-hour day at the table, with Ogwumike calling housing 'really big' and noting public attention to the negotiations has highlighted how meaningful a housing benefit is 'for the women in the W.'
- The May 8 regular-season opener likely proceeds on time if those two issues resolve, but Engelbert said she 'do[es] not know' whether the April 19 training camp start will be moved; an expansion draft for Portland and Toronto, free agency for 80% of the league, and the college draft all still need to happen before the April 25 preseason games.
- Connecticut Sun president Jen Rizzotti said it was 'admirable' that both sides don't want to stop, noting 'this is crucial and time is of the essence and we need to have a season.'
Why it matters: With the May 8 regular-season start hinging on resolving revenue share and housing, the WNBA's most-watched season yet — featuring Caitlin Clark's first preseason game on April 25 — sits on the negotiation outcome. The core disagreement isn't just percentages but definitions: the union's 26% of gross revenue versus the league's 70%+ of net revenue reflects fundamentally different views of what player share should look like, while housing's transition signals a broader shift in how WNBA compensation is structured.
