After more 16 months of negotiations, the WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) agreed in principle to a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday, March 18.
Details of the agreement, including the number of years, have not been finalized. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the season will start on time on May 8. Training camp will start on time on April 19.
"First, I just want to say thank you for your endurance through this process, especially I know it's been a long week. I just want to say we have aligned on key elements of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement together. We still need to finalize a formal term sheet, but the progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league," Engelbert said in a statement. "It underscores a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game. So, we'll share additional details as they become available.
"We just had some congratulations with each other. It's been, obviously, a process, but we're very proud to be leading women’s sports. These players are amazing, and we're going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May."
The CBA ends a tense, monthslong back and forth between the players' union and league, including eight days and over 100 hours of marathon negotiations from March 10-18 to get the deal over the line.
