Following the WNBA’s latest offer in December and the WNBPA’s disappointment with it, the ongoing CBA talks have been shrouded in silence, delays, and growing fan anxiety. And with the January 9 deadline approaching, the lack of public updates has only fueled speculation about the current state of negotiations. But the players’ union vice president, Napheesa Collier, has finally addressed the situation, and her message was clear.

During her latest appearance on Good Morning America, just as Unrivaled’s highly anticipated second season approaches, the Minnesota Lynx star, Collier, speaking candidly about the extended timeline, acknowledged how long talks have dragged on while reaffirming the union’s resolve.

“We’ve been at the table a long time. It’s been a little bit over a year, and I think just the willingness to create something new with the players is what we’re really looking for right now. We’re confident that we’re gonna get there. From our side, we’re standing strong on what we’re asking for, and I feel good that it’s going to happen,” she said.

With the current CBA set to expire in just a few days, the WNBA and WNBPA are operating under increasing pressure to either finalise a new deal or risk entering uncertain territory. But with the way things are going, they appear to be at an impasse. But that’s not all!

The Lynx star drew from her experience helping build Unrivaled, a 3×3 league that takes the player-first approach and focuses on sustainability, to subtly point toward a deeper frustration with how the WNBA is currently being run by commisoner Cathy Engelbert.

“Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. So I think if they can’t find a model that makes that happen, they need to put people in place who can,” she said, according to ESPNW.

While she didn’t name anyone directly, the implication was difficult to miss. As the league and union remain locked in stalled negotiations, her comments suggested that responsibility now falls on leadership to evolve alongside the WNBA’s rapid growth or step aside.

“We’re not going to back down, and we can’t take less,” Napheesa Collier further added. “The sport has just grown too much; it would be a disservice to the people who came before us.”

While the league has proposed a deal that would significantly raise salaries on paper, under the offer, maximum contracts could top $1.3 million in the first year, while average salaries would rise above $530,000, and minimum pay would cross $250,000, backed by an uncapped revenue-sharing model. However, the union believes those numbers still fall short of the players’ real worth. Even with the increase, the current framework would leave players earning less than 15% of the league’s net revenue, a figure well below the roughly 30% share the WNBPA has been pushing for.

“We are at a bit of a standstill. Our timeline is coming up in a couple of days. It’s gonna expire. But we’re just excited to show at Unrivaled that it is possible to pay the players and create a successful business. And that’s what we hope to do in the WNBA as well… We feel really confident in what we’re asking for, and I just feel really blessed to be able to play and create something that is already showing that these things are possible,” Napheesa Collier further added.

While the WNBA maintains that it’s negotiating in good faith and that they are offering a hike in the players’ salaries even when it would result in $700 million in losses over the life of the agreement, a claim the union has called “absolutely false,” the divide between these two bodies might make it hard to reach an agreement, before the time runs out.

And if they fail, the union still has the option of approving another extension. But whether it leads to an extension or even a strike, the outcome would likely be the same: a delayed 2026 WNBA season, and this would push back key events like the expansion draft and free agency, impacting more than 100 players across the league.

Why Napheesa Collier and the WNBPA are holding firm on revenue share?

While Collier’s confidence has given the fans the much-awaited update amid the silence, the union’s stance is rooted in a deeper belief that the league’s latest proposal still fails to reflect the players’ true value, especially at a time when the WNBA’s growth is impossible to ignore.

When asked about the state of bargaining, WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson sent a pointed statement to USA TODAY, pushing back against the league’s framing of the proposal and reinforcing why players remain unwilling to compromise. Jackson made it clear that players are focused less on headline numbers and more on what those figures actually represent within the league’s financial structure.

“The players know the difference between doing business and creating clickbait. They are focused on the system. Despite what the league and the teams are trying to do, the players are not confused by the numbers. The players want a meaningful share of the revenue they are creating. They want to be properly valued in these negotiations and this next CBA. They do not want to be paid last with only a fraction of the dollars left over.”

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While she refused to address any proposal directly, she emphasized that even a reworked salary system would fall short if it continues to leave players with a marginal share of revenue.

“The players would not have opted out of the 2020 CBA with a fixed salary system giving them less than 10% of the revenue that their labor drives, only to agree to a salary system that is arguably tied to revenue but now gives them less than 15%.”

There is very little room for misinterpretation regarding what the players are expecting: the league’s rapid growth = higher revenue sharing. Whether the two sides find common ground or push toward further delays, the players are unwilling to settle for a deal that doesn’t satisfy them.

If the players feel that the league is being unfair to them, they can call for a strike. If the league feels the players’ demands are extreme, they can call for a lockout. But the result in the end will only be a work stoppage, which won’t benefit either of them. As the second deadline approaches, the clock is ticking down, and with no resolution in sight, pressure continues to mount on league leadership to find a model that reflects the WNBA’s growth or risk letting uncertainty define the league’s next chapter.