“We don’t have to just accept anything you give us, because if you don’t give us what we’re owed, we have other places we can go,” that stark warning from Napheesa Collier should be ringing in the ears of WNBA owners as the league’s CBA standoff reaches a boiling point. The record-breaking success of Unrivaled adds even greater depth to her words.

As per the latest reports, the two sides (WNBA and WNBPA) are scheduled to meet today for a final discussion, because if the two sides defer it any further, the upcoming season may get delayed or even cancelled, and that would mean losses for the league, while players can just shift their allegiance to a rival organization.

While the league and players’ association prepare to negotiate, the elephant in the room is the booming success of a rival league, which gives the players unprecedented bargaining power. In just its second year, Unrivaled has posted record-breaking numbers

With a revenue of around $45 million, merch sales up by 130%, ticket sales up by 204%, and reaching over 1.2 billion fans digitally, the tournament broke records.

Even the value of the player equity pool grew 290% from $30M to $120M, which means the players remain the largest shareholder group. The players now have leverage going for them because they know if somehow things don’t work out, they will always have another option to fall back upon. Unrivaled is going strong, and Project B is also coming up in the latter part of this year, and that makes things easier.

Being a player herself, alongside being an owner, Napheesa understands the worth of her peers, something that maybe WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert doesn’t get. Despite the initial doubts regarding the 3×3 format, it has survived and has managed to rope in fresh talent as well for the second season, including someone with the caliber and market value of Paige Bueckers herself, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart, who deserve all the credit for this.

So now what does the future hold for the WNBA?

WNBA and WNBPA To Meet For Last Minute Negotiations

We have come to the stage where a decision has to be made on the WNBA CBA deal – March 10th, and without it, things cannot smoothly proceed. So both parties must meet, sit down, and have intense negotiations, as the decision made today will determine whether things will go in the ideal path that players envision, or whether the fight for “justice” goes on.

According to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, the two parties have agreed to meet today to talk about their terms and map out how they choose to navigate the road ahead. Understandably, both Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart will be key individuals in that discussion, as they have been delegated and authorized to act for the players involved.

As the WNBA keeps on maintaining its stance on keeping the revenue-sharing model unaltered, the two sides have not reached an agreement. Nevertheless, both sides exchanged proposals over the weekend, the details of which have remained private. However, if the words of the private sources are to be believed, things are still not looking good, and it would be a miracle if everything is resolved on March 10th.

The 70% share of net revenue has not changed. The union started negotiations by seeking 40% of gross revenue and has come down to 26% over the life of the deal, which sources have said is an eight-year term with an opt-out after seven.

Everyone is waiting with bated breath as to when the deal will be finalized, but until there is confirmation, nothing can be guaranteed. Napheesa Collier and Co are determined to have what they are rightly owed, and if the WNBA chooses not to respect their demand (WNBA CBA deal), consequences will follow, and that is for certain.