Caitlin Clark and her fellow WNBA players wore T-shirts telling league bosses to ‘pay us what you owe us’ as talks over a new collective bargaining agreement stalled during All-Star week.
Negotiations between the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association have continued in Indianapolis but failed to reach a deal and erase the friction between the two sides.
In fact, many WNBA players were disappointed in the lack of progress of an in- person session on Thursday that was attended by 40 players. The negotiations certainly didn’t narrow the gap between the two sides.
‘I think (Thursday’s) meeting was good for the fact that we could be in the same room as the league and the Board of Governors,’ said Liberty star Breanna Stewart, a union vice president. ‘But, I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity.’
The dispute began when the players union announced after the 2024 season that they would opt out of the CBA on October 31, 2025. With television revenues on the rise – largely due to the presence of Clark – the players want a larger piece of the financial pie.
The players’ top priorities are greatly increased salaries and a revenue sharing plan. In the WNBA, players reportedly only receive 9.3 per cent of league revenue which is way less than athletes in most other sports leagues.
Caitlin Clark and her fellow WNBA players wore T-shirts protesting against their league bosses
The T-shirts read ‘pay us what you owe us’ as talks over a new CBA stalled at All-Star week
Many WNBA players were annoyed by a lack of progress during an in-person session this week
The players top priorities are greatly increased salaries and a revenue sharing plan
But, as a New York Post article in October pointed out, the WNBA was set to lose $40million last season and NBA owners were starting to get frustrated by it.
The NBA owns nearly 60 per cent of the league and owners were pressing commissioner Adam Silver for answers on when they can expect a return on their investment.
There’s a lot of money coming into the league over the next few years with a new 11-year media rights deal worth over $2.2billion, three new expansion teams that each paid $250m in fees and many new sponsors.
However, forecasts for this season remain unclear and fans questioned why players should be paid more when the league has been operating at a loss.
One asked: ‘When’s the last time the WNBA made a profit? Genuinely asking.
Another commented: ‘The league doesn’t turn a profit. I guess they’re playing for free!’
A third added: ‘How is not one of them aware that they bring in absolutely no money.’
‘What entity are they asking to pay them? Like, where does the money they want come from?’ another asked.
Another viewer commented: ‘Their league loses tons of money. They should be paying the league to play.’
One angry viewer simply added: ‘They have no shame’.
According to Sports Illustrated, WNBA salaries roughly range from a minimum of $66,000 to a super maximum contract of around $250,000.
For reference, Clark will earn $78,000 in the 2025 season while All-Star rival Napheesa Collier has an average annual salary of $184,000.
Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings has the highest average annual salary in the WNBA at $241,000.
Players can supplement their income through commercial deals and it’s thought Clark, the Indiana Fever sensation, earned $11million in 2024.
The deadline to reach a new agreement is just three-and-a-half months away.
‘Rev sharing is truly transformational,’Los AngelesSparks guard Kelsey Plum told reporters.
‘We want a piece of the entire pie. Not a piece of part of the pie. We’re a resilient group. We know the unity it takes to be able to get the outcome desired.’
Chicago Sky second-year forward Angel Reese termed the negotiations as ‘disrespectful.’
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert described the negotiations as ‘very constructive dialog’
‘Obviously, women’s basketball is skyrocketing,’ Reese told reporters. ‘And it’s important for us to get what we want now, not just now, but for the future as well. …
‘It was an eye-opener for me … hearing the language of things, not things that I was happy to hear. It was disrespectful — the proposal that we were sent back.’
‘We’re on a time crunch. No one wants a lockout,’ said Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, another vice president of the WNBPA.
‘But at the end of the day, we have to stand firm, and we’re not going to be moved on certain topics. So hopefully the league comes back quickly so that we can get have more dialog, more conversations and can get the ball rolling.’
Collier and Stewart were co-founders of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league that debuted last offseason.
The fact that both players are part of the WNBPA negotiating party while having significant financial investments in a rival league would appear to be a conflict of interest, though Collier has fought back against that narrative.
That also is part of the discussions as the WNBA wants its league to be prioritized among the players, some of whom play overseas. Players point out that Unrivaled’s pay scale was better for most players than what they receive in WNBA salary.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert described the negotiations as ‘very constructive dialog.’ Engelbert said she remains optimistic that a deal with get done.