The WNBA CBA negotiations have taken a wild turn after Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart accused the WNBPA of a lack of transparency over negotiations. With the 2026 WNBA preseason less than two months away, no deal has materialized as the players’ association continues to push back on all proposals.
Amid the prolonged back-and-forth, Plum and Stewart have raised concerns about the player’s association’s tactics. In a letter obtained by ESPN sent to executive director Terri Jackson, the former Team USA teammates aligned on various factors, including player involvement. WNBA reporter Alexa Philippou highlighted the biggest factors, such as the lack of player involvement and a prominent seat at the negotiation table alongside Player Union administrators.
The Union has addressed this issue with the players, but has not offered to comment. Plum and Stewart are part of a seven-player committee, but it’s unclear whether all have aligned on the issues raised by the two All-Stars.
In the letter, Plum and Stewart expressed frustration with the lack of progress leading up to the March 10 deadline. They blamed the communication gap between Jackson, the executive committee and the players.
Plum and Stewart wrote that they have been privy to negotiation details for less than two months. They first saw a proposal in January and haven’t received any information despite repeatedly asking for information from the player’s association. Here’s what they asked, according to the letter released by ESPN:
“The examples of requested information include: a detailed breakdown of the WNBA’s expenses and revenue “to the best of our understanding”; a comparative analysis between potential losses players would face in a delayed or strike-shortened season versus the potential gains achieved in a new CBA earned through continued negotiations; a clear description of how rookie salaries will be structured and how they scale during a rookie contract; information on distributions from OneTeam Partners; and a clear articulation of the executive committee’s roles and responsibilities.”
Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart made it clear that without access to these details, the players won’t be “meaningfully engaged” as they should and that the executive committee won’t be fulfilling its duties.
Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart are not alone in raising complaints against WNBPA’s negotiations for new WNBA CBA
Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart aren’t the only players raising concerns over negotiations between the WNBPA and WNBA CBA. In their letter to Terri Jackson, Plum and Stewart claimed that others raised similar concerns across the players’ association but are afraid or unable to speak out.
“When we and other players have attempted to express concerns about negotiations, we have been made to feel as though we are acting against the interests of the PA,” the letter read. “Many other players across the league feel these same frustrations and have expressed them to us, but feel afraid or unable to speak out.”
Plum and Stewart are on board that while more negotiations are needed, a strike could be the worst thing for the WNBA at this moment. Half of the players’ association’s leadership is reportedly considering a strike if their demands aren’t met.
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