Key Takeaways
- The WNBA and players’ union did not reach a new collective bargaining agreement by the March 10 deadline after a 12-hour bargaining session.
- Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and union leadership say negotiations are ongoing, but key issues like salaries and housing remain unresolved.
- The league’s expansion draft, the 2026 draft, and the May 8 season opener are tied to the negotiation timeline as talks continue.
The WNBA and its players' union unfortunately did not reach a new collective bargaining agreement after their 12-hour negotiation session on Tuesday (March 10). Despite the date being a critical deadline to avoid delays to the 2026 season, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said there's “still work to do.”
Speaking with reporters outside a midtown Manhattan hotel, which ESPN noted served as a “neutral site” for both the league and player representatives, WNBA Players’ Association Executive Director Terri Jackson shared that negotiations were “going in the right direction.” She added that “every meeting is a positive meeting.”
“The fact that we scheduled meetings, that we offer dates to schedule meetings, that we actually get together, get in the room. I think that's positive,” she explained on Wednesday (March 11). “It's taking as long as it's taking. But you know, that's what it needs to be.” Several union committee members were also present, including WNBA Players’ Association President Nneka Ogwumike, Vice Presidents Breanna Stewart and Alysha Clark, and Treasurer Brianna Turner.
With the March 10 deadline now in the rearview, the big question remains whether the 2026 season could face delays. While Engelbert didn’t directly address that issue, she did say, “We've got to get this deal done. We've got to get it done soon.”
Engelbert also acknowledged that, despite the talks being “complex” and “complicated,” they’re “really important to the future not just of the league, but of women's sports.” For context, two major talking points throughout the past few months have been player salaries and housing arrangements.
As of the latest bargaining session, the WNBA proposed that players receive, on average, over 70 percent of net revenue — meaning the revenue remaining after deducting expenses — according to NBC News. In February, a source close to the talks shared that the players’ union was seeking an average of 27.5 percent of gross revenue (or total revenue calculated before expenses).
Could the 2026 WNBA season be delayed?
If the WNBA and players’ union reach an agreement soon after the deadline, the deal would still need to be signed by the end of the month. From there, the expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo would take place between April 1 and April 6, as AP News pointed out. The 2026 WNBA Draft would then follow on April 13, with the season scheduled to tip off on May 8.
If talks continue past that window, it’s very possible that some of the events leading up to the season — or even the season itself — could face delays. As some may remember, last December the players’ union also voted to authorize a strike “when necessary.”