It’s no secret that women’s basketball has been fighting for more—more viewership, more money. While the WNBA has made strides, Unrivaled wasted no time proving what’s possible. In just its first season, the league pulled in an average of 221,000 viewers on TNT and truTV, with the championship game between Rose and Vinyl skyrocketing to 385,000 at its peak. That’s a 99% jump from the regular season—something the WNBA has struggled to match.

Angel Reese made it clear where she stands. “The new CBA is coming up. I can’t wait,” the Chicago Sky rookie said. “We deserve more. Everybody.” She’s not alone. Dallas Wings guard DiJonai Carrington hinted at a possible player sit-out if the league doesn’t step up. And with Dwyane Wade, a co-owner of the Sky, now in the mix, players have even more leverage heading into negotiations.

Wade, who has been vocal about Unrivaled’s impact, didn’t sugarcoat it. “And when you see this and you see the development and opportunity to be here, you know why the pressure is on the WNBA,” he said on his podcast. “Not for anything more. So than ‘you have to treat me like this. You have to treat me like this. I ain’t going backwards’.” His message? The WNBA can’t afford to fall behind.

But it wasn’t just about numbers. Unrivaled also paid up, offering players an average salary of around $220,000 and even player equity—something the WNBA still hasn’t implemented. So as the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) and league officials were already in talks for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), players didn’t hold back. They know the stakes are high, and they want their fair share.

And that’s exactly why he believes players hold more power than ever. “And so when you talk about CBA coming up, these are things now that they’ve seen the other side that they get to go in and they get to put their feet down and be like, hey, we not rolling,” Wade added. “They deserve it.” With the CBA looming, the WNBA has a choice—evolve or risk losing its stars.

Like Dwyane Wade, WNBA stars are vocal too

WNBA players are keeping a close eye on the upcoming CBA negotiations. In 2025, a veteran with three-plus years will make a minimum of $78,831, while the league’s supermax deal caps out at $249,244. Compare that to the NBA, where players get a 50% cut of basketball-related income, while WNBA players receive just 10%, according to former All-Star Chiney Ogwumike.

Now with Dwyane Wade emphasizing their growing power, some stars aren’t staying silent. DiJonai Carrington, while on Unapologetically Angel with Angel Reese, pointed out a glaring issue—rookies entering the league in 2026 will earn more than Reese, who’s set to make just $82,399 in base salary that year. That pay gap has only added fuel to the fire.

Carrington, a team rep for the WNBPA, didn’t hold back. She told Reese she needs to be in those CBA meetings because the players mean business. “I got to get in the meetings, because I’m hearing, if y’all don’t give us what we want, we sitting out,” Reese stated. Carrington’s response? “That’s a possibility, for real.”

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier also echoed similar sentiments. “No one wants” a lockout, she admitted on CBS Sports’ We Need to Talk Now, but players are “prepared for any possibility right now.”

If the CBA negotiations don’t deliver, a lockout may no longer be just a possibility—it could become a reality.