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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert acknowledged progress in ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union but also outlined a deadline by which she hopes an agreement can be reached.
Engelbert said the timeline aims to avoid disruption to the league’s spring schedule as training camp and preseason games approach.
“We have to finish it on Monday. I have to say that we have to finish it without interfering with the part that we have to carry out this plan for the expansion of the two teams. [draft],” Engelbert said.
“We have to continue to expand. We have to get free agency. We have to get the college draft, which is now a month from today.”
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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a news conference before the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Training camp is scheduled to begin on April 19, followed by the start of preseason games on April 25.
Negotiations have reportedly lasted several hours each day for the past few days.
Women’s Basketball Association Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and Engelbert both acknowledged positive steps in recent days, especially on related issues.
A basketball goes through the hoop during warmups before the game between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
However, Engelbert noted that both sides “still have a lot of work to do.”
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Jackson struck an optimistic tone.
“I think the league, especially the commissioner and his team, have heard that change is still the goal,” Jackson told reporters. “As long as the movement keeps us moving forward, I think we’re good.”
The two sides have yet to reach an agreement on a new revenue-sharing arrangement.
The WNBA logo on the court before the game between the Connecticut Sun and the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on June 25, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Different proposals regarding the players’ salary arrangements have been submitted under the wing and the union. The WNBA’s proposal calls for players to receive an average of more than 70% of net revenue, while the union’s most recent proposal calls for 26% of net revenue over the life of the deal, according to ESPN.
It is reported that the union does not agree with the previous proposal of the union which said that the players received less than 15%. This unit stated that some of the union’s proposals may cost millions of rands.
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Napheesa Collier, vice president of the WNBPA, joined the in-person discussions on Friday evening. The other members of the executive committee, Brianna Turner and Alysha Clark, were there earlier in the week.
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