The WNBA and WNBPA are still sparring, trading CBA proposals back and forth as both parties approach the final hours of the league's March 10th deadline.
The WNBA reportedly submitted its most recent offer on Saturday, one day after receiving the union's Friday counterproposal, though the details on any changes on the table remain unclear.
According to the WNBA, if the two parties fail to reach a deal by Tuesday — a verbal agreement on the terms at a minimum, if not a signed CBA — the 2026 season could face delays.
Union leadership expressed a willingness to meet with the league in-person, with WNBPA VP Breanna Stewart recently stating she'd make herself available for talks.
"I think that would be great for us all to sit in a room until we really get it done," the New York Liberty forward said from USA Basketball camp over the weekend. "If that means sitting in there for hours and hours at a time, let's do it."
"I don't understand why we don't just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands," echoed Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. "That's how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands. You respect both sides."
Breanna Stewart played hero in Wednesday night's 2026 Unrivaled championship game, lifting the No. 2-seed Mist BC over the top-seeded Phantom 80-74 to claim the 3×3 basketball league's Season 2 trophy.
The Unrivaled co-founder and Wednesday's Championship Game MVP dropped 32 points in the title victory while Stewart's Mist teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Allisha Gray added 19 and 12 points, respectively.
Though they failed to log a win over the Phantom in regular-season play, the Mist came through when it counted, booking both the 2026 title and the championship team check worth $600,000.
Despite the loss, Phantom guard Kelsey Plum made Unrivaled history in the matchup, scoring a playoff-record 40 points as her team fought to overcome the loss of 2026 Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, who missed the Unrivaled postseason due to injury.
"AB's been our anchor defensively all year," Plum told reporters postgame. "We missed her a lot tonight."
As for the Mist, Wednesday's title represents a big club turnaround after the team ended 2025 in fifth place, missing the playoffs entirely before restocking their roster ahead of this year's second-place finish.
"What I'll remember the most about this Mist team is we might not be the loudest, but we're going to work the hardest," Stewart said.
Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart sent a three-page letter to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson on Monday, expressing concerns that the union's stalled CBA negotiations could impact the 2026 WNBA season.
In a letter acquired by ESPN, WNBPA vice presidents told Jackson that players feel excluded from the process. "We do not feel like we have an adequate seat at the table in these negotiations," Plum and Stewart wrote.
The union faces a March 10th deadline to complete a new CBA term sheet. However, the WNBA season starts May 8th, leaving limited time for the draft, expansion draft, and free agency.
Negotiations have now dragged on for 17 months. According to the letter, Plum and Stewart have been "privy to details of these negotiations for less than two months." They went on to say they haven't seen revenue breakdowns, survey results, and rookie salary structures.
"Despite a year and a half of negotiations, we have not been meaningfully engaged," they stated. "When we and other players have attempted to express concerns about negotiations, we have been made to feel as though we are acting against the interests of the PA."
The pair requested a meeting with union leadership, with the WNBPA subsequently calling an all-player meeting instead.
The letter also stressed concerns about a work stoppage damaging the league's financial health. Both Stewart and Plum oppose delaying the WNBA season.
"Many other players across the league feel these same frustrations and have expressed them to us, but feel afraid or unable to speak out," read the letter.
Last week, nearly a dozen player agents penned their own letter to Jackson pushing for more transparency.
"At this stage of negotiations, with time being of the essence, alignment and shared information will best serve the players and the Union," they wrote.
WNBA star Breanna Stewart is heading back overseas, as Fenerbahçe Opet announced Monday that the New York Liberty forward will join the Turkish powerhouse ahead of the 2026 EuroLeague Women Final Six in April.
Taking place in Spain from April 15th through the 19th — days before WNBA players must report to team training camps for the 2026 season — the tournament will determine this year's EuroLeague champion.
The Unrivaled co-founder will first finish out her 3×3 run with the third-place Mist, with the offseason league's final set to tip off on Wednesday, March 4th.
Stewart is no stranger to competing for EuroLeague trophies with Fenerbahçe, with the forward leading the team to the 2022/23 title — and picking up the league's Final Four MVP award along the way.
Even more, that EuroLeague hardware was Stewart's second, after the star claimed the 2020/21 championship — and MVP honors — with UMMC Ekaterinburg.
This time out, Stewart will join a Fenerbahçe roster already stacked with WNBA talent, including Liberty teammate Emma Meesseman, as well as fellow All-Stars Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) and Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm).
The Breanna Stewart signing raises CBA questions for the WNBA
The news of Stewart's overseas trip arrives at an interesting time, as ongoing CBA negotiations threaten to delay the planned 2026 WNBA season start.
The Liberty star's move also raises questions about prioritization rules, with the prior CBA requiring contracted players to rejoin their WNBA teams by the beginning of training camp or May 1st — whichever came later — or face a year-long suspension.
Prior to her European trip, Stewart will finish up the 2026 Unrivaled basketball season, with her 3x3 team Mist BC back on the court against the Lunar Owls at 9:15 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on truTV.
WNBA leadership is on the clock, as the league's front office failed to produce a new proposal during Monday's in-person CBA meeting with the players union.
"They volunteered that they did not have a proposal prepared at the top of the meeting," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told Front Office Sports on Monday. "That kind of set the tone for the conversation because we were hoping to hear otherwise."
Reports now indicate that the WNBA plans to officially respond to the union's December CBA proposal, though the timeline for the league to do so remains unclear.
Negotiations between the WNBA and WNBPA are currently at an impasse, as talks drag on months after the old contract's late-October expiration — and weeks past the double CBA deadline extensions — with a work stoppage still possible entering the 2026 season.
"After the meeting today, [a strike is] still on the table," WNBPA VP Alysha Clark told FOS on Monday.
However, the Washington Mystics forward also tempered the possibility of a work stoppage, adding "Until we get a response from the league about proposals, there's nothing that we've been able to negotiate and go back and forth with to even warrant 'Ok, what does a strike look like?'"
The WNBA's most recent proposal features a $1.3 million maximum salary, with the parties continuing to spar over a revenue sharing plan — arguably the highest priority item according to the players.
"The sooner it gets to a WNBA season, we're prepared to do it — to not play," WNBPA VP Breanna Stewart said on her Game Recognizes Game podcast this week. "But we don't want to. We want to play."
The WNBA and the WNBPA are literally coming to the table this week, with both parties meeting in-person on Monday as stalled CBA talks continue to delay offseason movement prior to the 2026 season.
WNBPA executive committee members Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), and Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks) will attend Monday's CBA negotiations in New York alongside WNBA, team, and union leadership.
"I think we'll learn a lot from this meeting," WNBPA first VP Plum said from the Unrivaled tour stop in Philadelphia on Friday. "I think everyone understands what's at stake, timeline-wise."
The two parties reportedly remain far apart on wedge topics like revenue sharing, three months after the previous CBA expired.
According to sources, Monday will mark the first full CBA meeting between the WNBPA and WNBA in over a month, with offseason transactions currently left in limbo while other league operations continue under a status quo mechanism.
"At the end of the day, we're human beings. I think conversation face-to-face goes a long way," Plum continued. "To be able to sit down face-to-face and say, 'This is how I feel, this is how you feel, let's see what we can do from there.'"
"I'm just excited for the opportunity to be able to be there in-person with other players that are really invested in this," Plum added.
WNBA star Breanna Stewart is making her voice heard, with the New York Liberty forward launching her Syracuse-focused Breanna Stewart Foundation one day after protesting Saturday's ICE shooting in Minneapolis on the Unrivaled 3×3 court.
First acknowledging the platform that basketball gave her, the Unrivaled co-founder said in her Monday social media post "my responsibility goes far beyond the game."
"This foundation starts where I'm from, Syracuse, and grows through New York because real impact has to begin at home," Stewart explained.
In partnership with Athletes for Impact, the Breanna Stewart Foundation aims to build "long-term, sustainable systems for women and youth in the community" to combat poverty through initiatives like healthcare services, education and mentoring opportunities, and sports programs.
The news came after Stewart held up a hand-written sign reading "Abolish ICE" during Sunday's Unrivaled introductions, with the Mist BC star calling attention to this month's fatal shootings at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minnesota.
"I wanted to have a simple message of 'Abolish ICE,' which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence," Stewart said after Mist BC's win.
"All day yesterday, I was just disgusted from everything that you see on Instagram and in the news," she added. "It's scary.... You see it splitting up families and dissecting communities.... It's the worst in all ways."
"We're so fueled by hate right now instead of love."
WNBA star Breanna Stewart took a stand during Unrivaled introductions on Sunday, using her platform to protest the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
Before the Mist tipped off against the Vinyl, Stewart walked onto the court at Sephora Arena holding a hand-drawn sign that read "Abolish ICE," drawing national attention to the fatal incident in Minnesota.
The protest follows the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, the US citizen and ICU nurse shot and killed by US Border Patrol agents in South Minneapolis on Saturday morning. The city’s second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents this month, the ICE shooting in Minneapolis has sparked unrest across the country and beyond.
After securing the Mist’s 76-71 victory, the 3×3 league co-founder addressed the demonstration in her postgame press conference.
"Really all day yesterday, I was just disgusted," Stewart told reporters.
"We’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of Abolish ICE, which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence."
The sports world responds to the ICE shooting in Minneapolis
The ICE shooting prompted widespread reactions across the sports world.
The Minnesota Timberwolves postponed their Saturday game against the Golden State Warriors, citing citywide protests and safety concerns. Other athletes, including Stewart’s fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier and Minnesota Lynx star Natisha Heideman, have also spoken out in support of the demonstrators.
For Stewart, the issue of immigration enforcement hits close to home. Her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, is a Spanish citizen navigating the US citizenship process. Stewart noted that the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis create a climate of fear for many families.
"You see it splitting up families and dissecting communities," she continued.
"We’re working to get [Xargay’s] citizenship, and she is a legal permanent resident and all of that. But it seems like it doesn’t matter. And I think that that's why these policies need to be put in place, that reform needs to happen. Because it doesn’t seem to be affecting the right people. It’s not helping anybody."
Federal authorities said ICE agents were conducting a "targeted operation" and claimed the victim was armed. However, local reports and bystander accounts challenge the administration’s timeline.
The 2026 WNBA schedule has arrived, as the league released key dates on Wednesday despite ongoing CBA talks that threaten to delay the start of the upcoming season.
Opening day will be Friday, May 8th, when the WNBA tips off with a tripleheader featuring incoming expansion side Toronto Tempo against the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty hosting the Connecticut Sun, and the Golden State Valkyries visiting the Seattle Storm.
Fellow 2026 addition Portland Fire will debut on Saturday, May 9th, hosting the Chicago Sky to close out another tripleheader that includes a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, as well as a Rookie of the Year showdown between the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
Other 2026 season highlights include the return of the annual WNBA Commissioner's Cup in June and the Chicago Sky-hosted All-Star Weekend in late July, with the league set to pause for a two-week break in early September to allow its stars to compete in the FIBA World Cup.
After the regular-season closes on Thursday, September 24th, the 2026 WNBA Playoffs will tip off on Sunday, September 27th, with a repeat of last year's best-of-three first round, best-of-five semifinals round, and best-of-seven Finals.
Notably, the 2026 WNBA schedule drop falls within the current status quo period, which allows the league to conduct certain aspects of its business as usual under the old CBA while continuing to negotiate new terms with the players union.
"I'm just starting to see [the light at the end of the tunnel]," New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart told Front Office Sports this week, hinting at a bargaining resolution while an official work stoppage remains on the table.
The WNBA and WNBPA remain in a negotiations deadlock, with New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart telling reporters that the two parties will not reach a CBA resolution before Friday night's extended deadline expires.
"We are not coming to an agreement by tomorrow, I can tell you that," Stewart said Thursday from Unrivaled 3×3's Miami campus. "We're just going to continue to negotiate in good faith."
The WNBA will now enter into a status quo period under the old CBA, in which negotiations will continue beyond the formal deadline.
Last month, the WNBPA voted to give union leadership permission to strike should that become necessary, but players view a total work stoppage as a last resort.
"[A strike is] not something that we're going to do right this second, but we have that in our back pocket," Stewart clarified.
The league and its players remain far apart on revenue sharing, among other issues, as the union pushes for more equitable gross distribution while the WNBA looks to offset expenses with a net sharing mechanism.
Though things are still up in the air, the union does seem to be taking precautions, announcing the launch of WNBPA Player Hubs on Thursday — resources for players "when team facilities are off-limits."
Described as "training facilities offering WNBA players continued access to courts, weight rooms, and recovery spaces throughout the offseason," the global network of university gyms and other performance centers will help athletes stay fit "regardless of league operation."