The WNBA and the WNBPA are still stuck negotiating a new CBA. In the meantime, a new league that was supposed to be an alternative for women ballers during the off-season is setting up new benchmarks. And Paige Bueckers was right at the center of it.

As per the latest updates, Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league, made history by setting a new all-time attendance record for a professional women’s basketball regular-season game and marking the highest crowd ever for an event at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The number? 21,490 fans roaring in support of their favorite ballers.

Doing so, they have surpassed the previous record set during the WNBA’s 2024 regular season, which recorded 20,711 fans during the Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever’s matchup against the Washington Mystics.

For the Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, this isn’t just another box checked; it is a statement.

“This is amazing! Even when we were warming up, the crowd was screaming, and they were just really there to support,” she said during a press conference. “You look up in the stands, and you just see so many different color jerseys because there’s just so many women to support, and so that’s really, really huge, and it’s beautiful to see, just because we feel like, again, like the women before us paved the way, and now we’re finally getting the recognition.”

Bueckers further added, “The media coverage accessibility on TV like we’re playing in an NBA arena, and sold out 21 thousand, so it’s just it really means a lot just because of me, like growing up watching the game and knowing how amazing those women were and how many people have paid the way, and then what we want for the next generation as well. So it’s just really amazing to be a part of, and like we never want to take it for granted. Just these opportunities that are in front of us. ”

As the league marked its first tour stop outside its home base in Florida, with a record-breaking turnout, here are some of the standout moments that lit up Philly:

• Kelsey Plum hit a game-winning bucket and finished with 22 points to lead Phantom BC to a tight victory over Paige Bueckers’ Breeze.
• Marina Mabrey put on a show for the Lunar Owls, scoring 47 points by hitting 18 field goals and 10 three-pointers in the second game.

Unrivaled isn’t just breaking records; it’s proving that women’s basketball demand is already here, even as the WNBA continues to work through major questions about its own future.

With record crowds showing up and players gaining more platforms than ever, the timing of this surge feels especially significant as the league and the WNBPA remain locked in ongoing CBA negotiations.

Why are the WNBA and the WNBPA still far apart in the CBA negotiations?

With the league and the players’ union still stuck in tense collective bargaining negotiations, players are making it clear they won’t settle for small improvements this time.

The last offer that the league gave to the players was a max base of $1 million, with the potential to earn more after the season with revenue sharing. But that’s just not it for players.

They believe the offer’s numbers still fall short of what they truly deserve. The players are pushing for a roughly 30% share through a gross-revenue model. But what the league offered is less than 15% of the net revenue, arguing that giving the players what they are asking could result in nearly $700 million in losses over the life of the agreement.

And that remains the core reason why they are failing to find a common ground.

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So far, multiple deadlines to reach a new agreement have already passed, but neither side is willing to budge. But sooner or later, if this situation persists, the 2026 WNBA season will inevitably be affected.

The sport is rising faster than ever, and the players want a fair share in that. But will they agree to a deal that both sides would find reasonable? Only time will tell.