After Unrivaled stages a showcase in Philadelphia, WNBA labor negotiations will resume face-to-face in New York.
PHILADELPHIA—As Unrivaled prepares to make its northern debut in the city where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed, there are no John Hancocks on the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.
(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
With four Unrivaled teams braving freezing temperatures to make it to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday, no one could be blamed for looking ahead to spring and summer. But fun in the sun has yet to be confirmed, as progress on a new CBA is at a relative standstill three weeks after its predecessor officially expired.
Such business lingers in the minds of the dual-dribblers as they get ready for thawed three-on-three action. The most emphatic take appropriately came from Phantom BC’s Natasha Cloud, one of Friday’s top attractions thanks to her Philadelphia heritage. Cloud is “not worried” about coming to an eventual agreement, but became the latest to jab the league office amidst the tense negotiations.
“We have never had a moment like this where there’s been so much momentum, where there has been so much investment demand of our sports,” said Cloud, a native of nearby Broomall and St. Joseph’s University alumna. “I’m just kind of upset, frustrated, all of us. In a lot of ways, it’s just disgusting with the W and how they’re handling this, and their lack of value, their lack of worth for us, their lack of even trying to attempt to move the needle with us.
“We know what is on the horizon. We know in two years, our TV deal is up, and there’s a new TV deal that’s going to come that they’re not even putting on the table for us…If we actually told you the percentages of what they’re giving that they’re like sending to us, it would absolutely p*** y’all off.”
Despite relative radio silence on the labor front since the expiration, there has been some stirring over the past week-plus.
WNBPA, WNBA Gear Up for Meeting in NYC
The league unveiled a schedule for the 2026 campaign last week (a development that Indiana Fever player rep/Phantom star Aliyah Boston called “neutral”), and players’ association first vice president Kelsey Plum revealed that an in-person meeting would be held on Monday in New York City. Injured Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier is likewise expected to attend.
Plum, who is likewise repping Phantom on Friday, kept her expectations for the Monday meeting relatively tempered but valued what a face-to-face meeting could do for the negotiations, as she roughly recalled that the last in-person conversations took place in the fall.
“I think conversation face-to-face goes a long way,” the current Los Angeles Spark said. “You can understand body language, you can understand tone, you can understand all those types of things, and intent. I just believe that eye contact is actually a massive thing that we forget.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity to be able to be there in person, with other players that are really invested in this and the EC and stuff. The league making a commitment to be there, at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing, right? We’re meeting together, and hopefully we’ll have something for you after that.”
Several player reps, including Boston and her Indiana teammate Lexie Hull, are partaking in Friday’s action, which serves as Unrivaled’s excursion outside of its Miami hub. Philadelphia will round out the WNBA’s expansion explosion: the franchise is expected to begin play in 2030 as the league’s 18th franchise. Other player reps on hand include Rachel Banham, Temi Fágbénlé, and Azurá Stevens. (Lunar Owls shooter Marina Mabrey is listed as Connecticut’s rep, but stated she essentially “demoted” herself and is no longer in that spot).
Players Stand Firm Amid CBA Negotiations
The massive expansion fees attached to the entry are perhaps a component of the revenue-sharing debate that has served as a sticking point in the ongoing negotiations. Cloud concluded her Friday statements by insisting that the players would not budge on their demands, a request originally lobbied with their display at last summer’s league All-Star Game in Indianapolis.
“Just know when we are standing firm on our feet, and 10 toes down, there is a reason, and we will not move until y’all move,” Cloud concretely declared. “We will not f***ing move until y’all move. It would be the worst business decision of any business to not literally pay the players that make your business go without us. There is no W season. So the pressure is on the WNBA, on (WNBA commissioner) Cathy (Engelbert), on (NBA commissioner) Adam (Silver), on everyone that is in that front office. Do your job, negotiate and pay your people, your players, your workers.”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
The post “We Will Not Move Until Y’all Move”: Natasha Cloud, WNBA Players Stand Firm as CBA Talks Continue appeared first on Ballislife.com.
