The league and the WNBPA held their first in-person meeting since opting out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement just a day before the All-Star Game. Over 40 WNBPA representatives, including stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, were in attendance. But the result? No agreement. At the time, players claimed the WNBA’s offer fell far short of expectations. “A slap in the face.” That’s how Satou Sabally described the WNBA’s offer, and she isn’t stopping there.

The current CBA, signed in January 2020, soon after Cathy Engelbert took over as commissioner in 2019, was initially set to last eight seasons, expiring in 2027. However, the WNBPA exercised its right to opt out last October amid the league’s unprecedented growth, which means the agreement will now end on October 31, 2025. So far, however, both sides have yet to reach an agreement on the new CBA, and that is a cause of frustration for both parties as it’s looking less and less likely that a new deal will be in place before the deadline.

And Satou isn’t stopping there. In an interview with Desert Wave Media, Sabally had a moment that quickly turned heads. Mishearing a question about her recent TikTok, where she spoke about the WNBA discouraging players from competing overseas and Unrivaled, she said, “I wasn’t aware that they already publicly announced that. I mean, that’s wrong. I made more money at Unrivaled than any year in my entire WNBA career.”

Obviously, the WNBA didn’t announce anything like that, and fans wasted no time pointing it out. Social media was filled with comments pointing out Satou’s mistake, which led to her further putting the spotlight on the current struggles in the negotiations between the two parties.

Fans react to Satou Sabally mishearing the ‘question’

One fan said, “I don’t think she understood what the guy said lmao,” while another chimed in with, “Premiere WNBA journalism right here lol the guy doesn’t speak loud or clear enough for her to hear exactly what he said, so she responds to what she mistakenly heard and goes for the jugular lol they don’t correct it for her and still publish the response” And to be fair, they weren’t wrong.

The journalist was clearly asking about her recent TikTok, where she boldly claimed that the WNBA doesn’t want players competing overseas or at Unrivaled. In that TikTok, Sabally didn’t hold back. “I could go on a whole rant,” Sabally wrote in the caption as per Azcentral. “Maybe I was just sick and tired after 5 games in 8 days, but I’m not delusional here, that’s odd (sic). We still make more money at unrivaled or overseas, which they want us to stop playing in too.”

Sure, Satou clearly misheard the question as one fan rightly pointed out, “I think she misunderstood you”, but it does raise a bigger question — what exactly does the W really want? Under the current agreement, WNBA players receive just 9.3% of the league’s revenue, according to MarketWatch. For context, NBA players take home 49-51% of all basketball-related income, NFL players get 48% of revenue, and NHL players receive 50%. Clearly, the WNBA players have every right to push for a much bigger share.

Since time immemorial, WNBA players have been heading overseas to supplement their income. Then came 2024, when stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart decided enough was enough and launched Unrivaled, giving players a domestic option. And really, why wouldn’t they jump at the chance? The average salary for Unrivaled’s three-month season is $220,000, which is about $100,000 more than the WNBA’s reported average of $119,590.

But as one fan rightly pointed out, the WNBA has its own reasons for not allowing players to take part in other leagues — that is, if they even said anything about this in the meeting, like Sabally claimed in her TikTok. “This policy is not new, in professional sports. NFL rules and agreements like the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) often restrict or prohibit such dual participation,” the fan explained.

With the Golden State Valkyries joining as the 13th team this season, the schedule expanded from 40 to 44 games. And with five more teams set to join by 2030, you can bet that number is only going to rise. Which means one thing– playing in the offseason just ups the risk of injuries. We just saw Nika Muhl go down while playing abroad, and the W definitely doesn’t want that.

But that is clearly why Satou Sabally has been so vocal about this. “I love to see the league growing,” Sabally said after the W announced its plans to expand further. “But how cool would it also be to have a little bit of expansion on the rosters? Let’s focus on the teams that have everything set up right now.”

With roster spots still capped at just 12, the rise in games has only made things tougher for teams across the league. Stars like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and even Satou herself have all spent time on the sidelines this season. So really, why not increase the roster spots while you’re at it? Instead, Satou Sabally’s comments have only drawn more criticism. As one fan bluntly put it, “She’s the face of WNBA complaints 😭.”

While discussions surrounding the CBA negotiations will continue to be a trending topic among the community, it has now reached a point where people have started wondering: What if the negotiations don’t conclude before the October 31st deadline? What would happen to the league we love? A question for you guys to think about.