While maintaining faith for an eventual agreement, WNBA superstar and negotiator Breanna Stewart isn’t confident an immediate CBA will be reached.
The WNBA Players Association appears ready to call an extended timeout.
In a break from Unrivaled action, New York Liberty forward and WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart admitted that there is no imminent resolution to the collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which have cast an aura of uncertainty over the 2026 season. The current CBA is set to expire on Friday, the latest deadline in a series of extensions in the active labor discussions.
“We are not coming to an agreement [by Friday],” Stewart said, per Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. “I can tell you that.”
NEWS: Breanna Stewart says that she has been told a new extension will not be agreed upon by tomorrow’s CBA deadline, but the expectation is for the WNBA and Players’ Association to continue to negotiate in good faith.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) January 8, 2026
The normally-bustling WNBA offseason has screeched to a halt with no new CBA, delaying preparations for the league’s 30th campaign. A debate over receiving a percentage of gross or net revenue has been one of the top issues, as has the conversation over a salary cap. The relative pause has possibly postponed several league landmark dates, including the annual free agency frenzy and expansion drafts for the incoming Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.
Before Friday’s happening, the last development on the CBA front was the players’ association giving its executive board clearance to declare a strike. Kendra Andrews of ESPN reported that Stewart said a strike was “not something that we’re going to do right this second” but seemed to appreciate “having that in our back pocket.” Upon expiration of the CBA, the league and players will enter a form of “status quo” that goes by the parameters of the prior agreement while continuing to negotiate in the interim.
RELATED: BALLISLIFE EXCLUSIVE WITH BREANNA STEWART | CBA DEAL IMMINENT? | MORE CBA CONTENT HERE!
Stewart to Ballislife: “I’m Very Confident”
Passing the deadline without a new CBA obviously isn’t a doomsday event, and Stewart herself was optimistic about the eventual new deal during an exclusive interview with Will Despart of Ballislife in Las Vegas earlier this week. It would appear, however, that the players are prepping for at least some form of contingency.
Khristina Williams of NBC Sports reported that the WNBPA has established a series of “Player Hubs” at both the domestic and international levels. Such settings could serve as bases of operation if/when a lockout bars players from using team facilities.
The WNBA CBA deadline is just two days away!
Breanna Stewart exclusively tells @Ballislife that “she’s very confident” a deal will get done.
Do you think the WNBA and WNBPA will come to an agreement by Friday?
: @WillDespart pic.twitter.com/PIidg0ELzl
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 7, 2026
Williams’ report lists several college campuses (Cal-Berkeley, Manhattan, Stanford, UNLV) on the ledger as well as The Bay Club Network, New Heights Youth in Brooklyn, The Embassy facility in Spain (co-founded by former NBA vet Jose Calderon), and the WNBPA’s New York facility as potential bases of operation.
For the time being, Stewart’s Unrivaled endeavors will continue to serve as the main course of domestic professional women’s basketball offerings. Her club, Mist BC, returns to action on Saturday night against Laces BC (8:45 p.m. ET, TruTV).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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