Worsening WNBA System Exposed by ESPN Analyst as CBA Demands Are Fully Justified

We’ll remember this WNBA All-Star weekend for a lot of things. The vets showing up for the rookies. The fun content. The perfect final game that wrapped it all up like a bow. But there’s one image that’ll stay with us forever. Before the first whistle even blew, the All-Stars stepped onto the court not in league gear, but in bold black tees stamped with one message: “Pay us what you owe us.” The crowd cheered loudly not just for basketball, but for something bigger. 

Let’s rewind for a second. Back in October 2024, the WNBPA officially opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, which was set to run through the end of the 2025 season. Since then, not much has moved. In fact, this All-Star weekend marked the first time the league and union even met in person since December, and it didn’t go well.

“We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we’re owed,” said WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike. “We want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries be reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.” Fair.

However, while pay and revenue sharing remain the loudest headlines, that’s barely where the issues end. And right now, the schedule is causing just as much – if not more – outrage. ESPN analyst and WNBA legend Rebecca Lob wrote on X, “A priority of @TheWNBPA in the new CBA has to be addressing the condensed schedule.” And she is correct. Just look at the numbers that Lobo also laid out in the tweet:

Average number of days between games per season:

2021: 4.03
2022: 2.81
2023: 2.88
2024: 3.23
2025: 2.70

Yes, the schedule is really the worst it has ever been. And it’s not random. The league bumped up the number of regular-season games this year, from 40 to 44, but didn’t extend the season timeline to match. You don’t need to be a math genius to know what that leads to: too many games in too little time. “I think this is a conversation that could also be important for the next CBA,” Mercury’s Satou Sabally said bluntly. “Cathy added a lot of games. We had nine games in 18 days. It’s not really responsible for a commissioner to do so.” And she’s far from the only one frustrated.

Sabrina Ionescu made the absurdity of the situation clear, saying, “Obviously everyone here plays a heavy amount of minutes and so I think trying to better space out the games is something that we’re trying to talk about…Lengthening the season and not having four games a week with 10-player or 9-player rosters … I think is something that could help.” Breanna Stewart echoed similar concerns, and Fever head coach Stephanie White didn’t hold back either.

After a win against Connecticut in June, White pointed to their upcoming hell-stretch: six games in 11 days, including coast-to-coast travel, back-to-backs, and barely any recovery time. “It’s tough,” White said. “We’re hopping from the West Coast to Indy, then back-to-backs, and then straight to Dallas. That’s just not sustainable.” And it’s not just the vets or coaches feeling it. Fever rookie Sonia Citron admitted the brutal reality hit hard. Her comments also got us thinking just how double brutal it must be for the rookies, jumping straight from a grueling college season into the longest grind of the W?

Across the league, this lack of rest and rhythm is messing with everything – momentum, recovery, prep time. The Mystics faced the Aces, then had to roll right into another matchup. Dallas had two straight home games with no real rest. The Liberty were yo-yoing between back-to-backs and six-day breaks. In late May, they played four games in six days with travel in between. By July, they had two games in six days. What kind of routine is that?

Athletes thrive on structure. This current schedule is the exact opposite. And you know what else can be pinned onto this chaos? Injuries. This season has already seen a scary uptick in both major and recurring injuries. When bodies don’t have time to heal and recover, this is what happens. So while the crowd saw All-Star weekend as a celebration, the players made sure it also served as a statement. And notably, this issue of scheduling was brought up by the WNBPA in the same meeting.

But, along with highlighting scheduling, Lobo also had a prediction. 

Lobo sees hope as WNBA stars show unity 

40 players showed up for the in-person CBA meeting, and they showed up together. According to an ESPN report, it wasn’t just the vets leading the charge. Sophomores like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese were there. Even the rookies Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. But how could these youngsters not join?

By the end of this year, the WNBA’s direction for the next seven years could be set in stone, depending on how the ongoing CBA negotiations unfold. With pay raises, revenue sharing, and several key player demands on the table, this agreement isn’t just about now; it’s about shaping the league’s future for nearly a decade.

Thankfully, a longtime women’s basketball voice is optimistic. On a July 21 episode of SportsCenter, Rebecca Lobo offered a reassuring outlook. “I do think there’s a lot of common ground for the owners and the players to reach.” Lobo said. “It’s relatively early in the negotiations, you saw how unified the players were. But they do have some time,”

She recalled how the last time there was a CBA, it wasn’t ratified until January of that year. So she is hoping things happen sooner rather than later. But she didn’t stop there. “But I do think, ultimately, these two sides will come together. The players will get a huge increase in their salaries, and hopefully some revenue share as well,” Lobo added.

Sure, there’s talk of a potential lockout if things fall apart. But if Lobo, who’s known this league inside out, believes there’s a path forward, we’ll hold onto that hope.