July 18, 2025
Locked On Women’s Basketball: WNBPA reaction from CBA meeting
Following what many players referred to as a disappointing CBA negotiation session, members of the WNBPA leadership and others spoke to media at All-Star weekend.
It is officially WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, so on this edition of the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast, host Howard Megdal took the opportunity to speak with a collection of WNBA players, which you can watch or listen to in the episode.
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Topics ranged from the recent meeting between the WNBPA and the WNBA to work towards a new collective bargaining agreement to Friday night’s Skills Competition and 3-point contest. Additionally, Megdal asked Minnesota Lynx and Team Collier head coach Cheryl Reeve about how far things have come in her tenure in the league.
Megdal on why the WNBPA is focusing on setting salaries and salary cap figures on a percent of revenue basis rather than a predetermined number:
[Many players] talked about [how] this is supposed to be a long-term deal … which is a new detail that we’re hearing about, but certainly made sense. The W just signed an 11-year media rights deal. They have expansion going on through 2030.
The more that the WNBA can put itself in a position to have labor stability gives them the best opportunity for long term growth and success as well. So certainly would make sense for the players to have something built in. Well, you’ve gotta give something to get something. [The league] wants long-team labor peace, players are saying they need a percentage of that growth.
That shares in the dangers as well. If you are getting a percentage of revenue, and revenue were to go down, then the players are sharing in that risk as well. But it is very telling, I think, that neither side thinks that’s where we’re going. It is certainly, if I may say so, not where I see the WNBA going.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Megdal on how the growth of All-Star weekend and the surrounding fan experiences is so important:
There are fans who are streaming [into WNBA Live,] who are having in-person experiences that [are] happening in real time. And so from that perspective, getting the opportunity to see fans relating directly to players, to coaches, the figures in women’s basketball, it all brings you closer together. It all brings you closer to the action. It all makes for these long-term bonds.
This is something that Major League Baseball fans have had the opportunity to do [over time]. My older daughter, at age three, went to Fan Fest when the MLB All-Star game was at Citi Field [in New York] and got to connect to baseball players. My younger daughter is right now, as I’m recording this, at WNBA live getting to do that for the league that’s her favorite. And she gets to have those experiences now too. So it really matters. It really matters that people get these opportunities.
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