As the WNBA and its players’ union continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, the 2026 WNBA season hangs in the balance.
‘Well, someone’s gonna have to fold, aren’t they?’ Collier told USA TODAY Sports regarding the ongoing CBA talks while promoting a partnership with Unrivaled and Icy Hot.
A five-time WNBA All-Star with the Minnesota Lynx, Collier says the union continues to meet with the hope of getting a deal done. But, she reiterated the players’ plan to stand firm amidst the revenue sharing road block and housing concessions by the WNBA.
On Tuesday, the players’ union submitted a counterproposal in response to the WNBA’s Feb. 7 submission. In the proposal, the WNBPA requested 25% of gross revenue in the first year, increasing over the life of the agreement to an average of roughly 27.5%. The union also proposed a salary cap of less than $9.5 million.
The latest requested revenue share percentage is less than the proposal in December, where players asked for 30% of gross revenue. The WNBA is currently offering more than 70% of league and team net revenue. The league is also proposing a salary cap of $5.65 million per year, rising with league revenues.
In Tuesday’s counterproposal, the WNBPA advocated for housing to continue in the early years of a player’s career. The union proposed housing could be shed in later years of a contract and would be adjusted and phased out for players who make a certain amount of money on a multi-year, fully guaranteed contract.
The WNBA issued a statement, saying: “The Players Association’s latest proposal remains unrealistic and would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our teams. We still need to complete two Drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time. We believe the WNBA’s proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come.”
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the players’ union’s proposal would allegedly result in projected losses of $460 million over the lifetime of the agreement for WNBA teams. The person went on to share that the deal has to benefit both the players and teams to ensure continued investment and growth in the league.
Collier shared with USA TODAY that she did not have a specific response to the WNBA’s statement, but did reveal some thoughts.
‘We don’t think, obviously, what we’re asking for is unfair, otherwise we wouldn’t be asking for it,’ Collier said. ‘But we understand it’s a negotiation, and I think we are trending in the right direction. But, we have to be able to stand strong in what we believe in and make sure that we are getting a fair cut in this pie that we are building together as a league and as players.’
A person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports there is a sense of urgency from the players’ union. According to the person, as Collier mentioned, the desire to play in 2026 remains, along with securing a transformational deal where the WNBPA ‘doesn’t negotiate against themselves.’
The regular season is scheduled to start May 8. However, before that can happen, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will have expansion drafts. Free agency and the 2026 WNBA draft also need to take place. Collier is aware that the closer the clock moves to May 8, the more anxious people may become. Still, she has hope things will work themselves out.
‘I hope people just remember that we want to be out there, too. I think it gets [lost] with lots of different narratives out there that we’re being unreasonable, whatever it is ― this is our livelihood. This is our job, our passions, what we love to do most in the world. We want to be out there. It’s just such a pivotal time in women’s sports, and we’ve been growing, growing, growing for so long,’ Collier said.
‘Again, we just have to stand strong in what we believe in and what we think is fair. So I just hope they hold out and believe in us, continue to support us ― which they have been; they’ve been great ― and just know that we are gonna play again. It’s gonna happen. This thing is gonna happen. Just be patient with us. Keep supporting us, and we’re gonna get there.’
