Before the All-Star Game on Saturday night, WNBA players shared a strong message regarding their ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. During warm-ups, they donned shirts that stated, “I’ll pay us what you owe,” which prominently featured the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) logo.
The game featured captains Kate Linklark and Nafisa Collier leading their respective teams. Interestingly, despite being sidelined with a groin injury, Caitlin Clark joined in wearing the protest shirt. The previous Thursday, players had met with league officials but no agreement was reached, leading to frustration among many, including Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. She mentioned that hearing the discussions was a bit of an eye-opener, and not in a good way.
WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu commented that players felt they hadn’t reached a fair point in negotiations, while Phoenix Mercury’s player Sabbary described the latest collective bargaining agreement offer as a “slap” to the players. WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert commented after the meeting that the dialogue was productive, emphasizing the importance of listening to players while balancing the perspectives of the owners.
Engelbert expressed a hopeful outlook, saying she believes transformation is possible through ongoing discussions, though the process is still developing. Ultimately, it seems the conversation around fair compensation and conditions in the league is far from over.
