The WNBA and WNBAPA have been involved in a lengthy negotiation over the league’s next labor agreement. The league previously gave March 10 as a deadline for a deal to be agreed upon in order to avoid impacting the scheduled start of the season.
“We… are running out of time. We believe the WNBA’s proposal would result in a huge win for current players & generations to come,” the league said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the deadline the league provided, leadership from the players’ association and the league met for intense negotiations to get a deal over the finish line. Talks between the sides went on for over 12 hours, but ultimately, no deal was struck.
After the lengthy bargaining session, WNBAPA Cathy Engelbert shed some light on where things stand and where they’re headed.
“We’re working hard … and still have work to do,” Engelbert said, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Engelbert went on to say that talks between the sides were “complex” and “complicated,” adding that a deal would be “really important to the future not just of the league, but of women’s sports.”
WNBAPA executive director Terri Jackson gave reporters a positive outlook after exiting the lengthy meeting, saying that there was “a lot of conversation going in the right direction.”
In the meantime, fans will be able to catch some of their favorite WNBA players, including Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers from March 11 to March 27
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.