Copyright New York Post
The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association remain at odds with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire at the end of this month. WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson initially issued a fiery response in the wake of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s recent comments regarding revenue share — a key issue for the players — when he said, in part, “share isn’t the right way to look at it.” Silver said WNBA players are due to “get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it.” But Jackson said players stand firm on their desires to have their increased salaries connected to a more robust revenue-sharing model that ties their pay to the league’s business growth. “When the players opted out a year ago, they made it clear they wanted a salary system that values their labor and allows them to grow with the business they are very clearly driving,” Jackson said in a statement provided to The Post and other outlets. “The league’s response has been to run out the clock, put lipstick on a pig, and retread a system that isn’t tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players. The fact that the league now wants to call any part of its proposal ‘uncapped’ is precisely why its leadership, transparency, and accountability are being challenged right now. “You know they know it’s bad when the best they say they can do is more of the same: a fixed salary system and a separate revenue-sharing plan that only includes a piece of a piece of the pie, and pays themselves (the league) back first,” Jackson continued. “We’ve come to the table prepared to do business,” Jackson said. “They’ve responded with bad math and are hoping everyone doesn’t understand what ‘uncapped’ actually means.” A WNBA spokesperson, though, adamantly refuted Jackson’s statement, calling it “incorrect and surprising” to suggest the league didn’t offer an “uncapped” option. “The comprehensive proposals we have made to the players include a revenue-sharing component that would result in the players’ compensation increasing as league revenue increases — without any cap on the upside,” the spokesperson said. “It is frustrating and counterproductive for the union to be making misrepresentations about our proposals while also accusing the league of engaging in delay. That is simply not true.” The league said the WNBPA has “yet to offer a viable economic proposal and has repeatedly refused to engage in any meaningful way on many of our proposal terms.” The WNBA’s latest proposal doesn’t include a super-max salary at, or exceeding, $1 million in the first year, according to Front Office Sports. Instead, the super-max salary proposal is closer to $850,000, and a veteran minimum is around $300,000 for the first year, the report said. Both are increases from the current CBA. The league’s current super-max is $249,244, and the veteran minimum is $78,831. But the players may argue the increase is not equal to the league’s booming valuation, with some franchises being valued north of $400 million. Players are hoping for a salary model similar to the NBA’s, where basketball-related income (such as TV deals, sponsorships and ticket sales) helps determine the next year’s cap. The current CBA expires Oct. 31. While the two parties meet regularly, it seems likely that an extension will be necessary, similar to what happened last time a new CBA was being brokered in 2019. Nothing can happen in the WNBA offseason, including the draft lottery, expansion drafts, free agency and college draft, until a new deal is ratified. Both sides are hoping to avoid delaying the start of next season. “We stand ready to continue negotiating in good faith and hope they will do the same so that we can finalize a mutually beneficial new CBA as quickly as possible,” the league spokesperson said. The NBA, which owns 42 percent of the WNBA, didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.
