Napheesa Collier didn’t walk into her exit interview to talk about the season…she walked in ready to deliver a battle cry. Her words, calling the WNBA the “worst leadership in the world,” exploded across the league. Players started speaking up. Fans took sides. And suddenly, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was at the center of the storm, with players rallying behind Collier demanding answers and accountability from the authority while the new CBA hangs in limbo. The newest voice joining the call for change? Lexie Hull.

The Indiana Fever star turned heads for all the right reasons at the 2025 Glamour Women of the Year Awards. Dressed in a sleek, all-black column dress paired with silver and diamond accents, she owned the red carpet and claimed her spot as one of Glamour’s Women of the Year. But Lexie Hull had something more urgent to say.

With CBA negotiations at a standstill and the future of players hanging in the balance, Lexie Hull turned her acceptance speech into a rallying cry. Standing alongside fellow pros Nyara Sabally and Jonquel Jones, Lexie delivered a powerful message that’s now gone viral, adding even more weight to the mounting pressure on commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s already burdened shoulders.

“You may have heard, but we are in a bit of a negotiation right now. We fight our rivals hard on the court, but now we’re fighting for fair pay, safer play, and better resources for every player in the WNBA. Tonight, we want to thank the fans who are standing with us as we work to make the WNBA the best league in the world.”

According to Front Office Sports, the WNBA’s latest proposal is offering a huge jump in salaries. A supermax deal worth around $850,000 and a veteran minimum of $300,000. Compare that to today’s numbers — a supermax at $249,244 and the veteran minimum at just $78,831 — and it sounds like real progress, right?

Well, not quite. The players aren’t just looking for bigger paychecks….. they’ve been fighting for a fairer revenue-sharing model. Right now, WNBA players take home less than 10% of the league’s basketball-related income. So even if the proposed salary figures look impressive on paper, they still fall short of recognizing the true value of the athletes who helped the league smash its single-season attendance record this year.

So yes, it’s not just about money. It’s about respect and getting their fair share of the growth they helped create.

As things stand, the October 31 deadline has already passed, and both sides have agreed to a 30-day extension just to keep talking. But the tension between the two parties is still at an all-time high. The league says they’re willing to accept a “fair” deal, while the players argue that fairness is exactly what’s missing from the terms on the table.

So what happens if the extension expires and no agreement is reached?

Well, there’s always the chance that the WNBA and the players’ union agree to another extension. Back in 2019, during the last round of CBA talks, both sides pushed the deadline back by 60 days, and a deal was eventually reached in January 2020. But this time it’s different.

There wasn’t the same kind of time crunch back then. This time around, there’s a lot more on the line: an expansion draft for two new teams, a huge free agency period where nearly 80% of the league is looking for new deals on better terms, and a new season that’s expected to feature more than 44 games per team.

So, if an agreement isn’t reached in time, things could get serious quickly. It would open the door for a work stoppage, either through a player-led strike or an owner-imposed lockout. Luckily, that hasn’t become a major fear just yet. According to ESPN, a lockout doesn’t seem imminent at this point. But with the W, you can never be too sure about what comes next.

And Lexie Hull is already gearing up for the Unrivaled season,  a league that’s become a vital part of her income and many others in the league.

Lexie Hull returns to Rose BC for the second season of Unrivaled

The rosters are officially locked in for Season 2 of Unrivaled. On Wednesday, the league completed its draft, filling out all eight teams ahead of the 2026 season, which tips off on January 5. One of the biggest headlines? Paige Bueckers is joining the expansion squad Breeze BC, where she’ll be playing under the guidance of head coach Noelle Quinn.

As for Lexie Hull, she’s running it back with the team that helped her make history. The inaugural Unrivaled champion is returning to Rose BC, a squad that kept all but two players from last season’s title run. After squaring off in the 2025 WNBA Finals, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper will be teammates once again, ready to push for back-to-back titles. Azura Stevens is also back with the side.

While Lexie Hull can’t wait to suit up again with her Rose BC squad, she and countless other players have a much bigger priority right now: getting the CBA talks across the finish line. No one wants a work stoppage hanging over the season. So what comes next? That’s what everyone will be watching out for!