© Kirby Lee/Imagn
Audio By Carbonatix
At a time when the WNBA is growing at an unprecedented rate, the league also appears headed toward a potential lockout that could stunt that growth. It took its first major step toward that lockout recently when the WNBPA rejected a Collective Bargaining Agreement proposal that Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally called a “slap in the face.”
“We got a proposal from the league, which was honestly a slap in the face,” Sabally said. “We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now. But I love to see the league growing.
Adding these teams in Philly and Detroit, how amazing is that?! The league can grow, but how cool would it also be to have a little bit of expansion on the rosters?” Sabally, the team’s union rep, said of the league’s recent expansion announcement.
#Mercury union rep Satou Sabally calls #wnba CBA offer to players a “slap in the face” pic.twitter.com/x6rc00ZeEO
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) July 1, 2025
WNBPA Rejected New CBA Proposal WNBA, Leading League Toward Potential Lockout
The WNBPA announced prior to the season that it would opt out of the current CBA following the 2025 season. The move makes plenty of sense considering the massive level of new investment into the league via a new TV deal and expansion fees. But now it appears the two sides are nowhere near one another when it comes to agreeing to a new CBA.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark voiced similar concerns on Tuesday after the team’s Commissioner’s Cup victory.
“We get more for [the Commissioner’s Cup] than you do if you’re a [WNBA champion]. Makes no sense. Someone tell Cathy [Engelbert] to help us out,” Clark said on an Instagram Live stream from teammate Sydney Colson.
Fever players took home nearly $30,000 a piece for winning the Commissioner’s Cup, which is sponsored by Crypto.com, while players who win the WNBA championship will pocket $11,356 each, according to the league’s current CBA.
Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail when it comes time to sit down and iron out a new deal. But for now, it appears the two sides are nowhere near one another at a time where the league really cannot afford a work stoppage.