At a time when uncertainty surrounds the WNBA, the 3×3 format has offered a refreshing alternative as top players showcase their games. Behind the scenes, however, members of the WNBPA Executive Committee remain engaged in critical CBA discussions that could shape the league’s immediate future.

WNBPA Vice Presidents Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart have revealed the stark reality of the situation, having to manage both playing in Unrivaled and being locked in key negotiations that could affect the future of women’s basketball. After the game between Mist BC and Laces BC, Breanna Stewart expressed how tough the balancing act becomes when asked about her role as part of the Executive Committee of the WNBPA, being Unrivaled’s co-founder, and playing for Mist in Unrivaled.

“Honestly, it’s hard. Like, especially these past few weeks, I feel like when I’m here…I’m locked in. I’m practicing. I’m with my team, but when I go home, it’s like, you know, we have EC calls, we have all these things that you have to be a part of because you want to make sure that everything is going exactly according to plan,” she shared.

But at the end of the day, it’s a human body. Stewie said that she told her daughter, Martha, that day that her mind felt a little overwhelmed from having to think about so many things at once. Yet, despite the personal toll, this is a battle she chooses to fight.

“But it’s the position I want to be in. I wanted to obviously be here at Unrivaled and see this to fruition as a co-founder. But also, I want to make sure the league (WNBA), when it’s time to get back to that, it’s going to be something that’s a generational shift in the CBA,” Breanna exclaimed.

Kelsey Plum echoed the same sentiments when asked. Speaking after the Phantom vs Lunar Owls game, Kelsey, as part of the Executive Committee of the WNBPA, and a player for Team Phantom in Unrivaled, said, “To be honest, it is difficult. We’re all just trying to do the best we can and navigate, and at the end of the day, we all want to play basketball. So hopefully we can get this done sooner than later,” she added.

More than a year after players formally stepped away from the existing collective bargaining agreement, negotiations between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association remain stalled. Key disagreements persist around pay models, revenue distribution, and player benefits. Several athletes competing in Unrivaled acknowledged this week that while the lack of progress is disappointing, it is not unexpected given the long-running nature of the talks.

While it is mentally taxing to deal with these uncertainties and play against the top players simultaneously, Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart have been performing at the highest levels in Unrivaled so far. Plum scored 38 in under 20 minutes for Team Phantom in a blowout win over the Lunar Owls.

With the revised deadline also having passed, the WNBA and the WNBPA are locked in continuous talks in an attempt to reach an agreement regarding revenue share, salary cap, and a host of other issues in and around the CBA. The entire delay in reaching an agreement has cast uncertainty around the entire 2026 WNBA schedule, with no dates revealed for the Expansion Draft, which is one of the first events on the 2026 offseason list.

The WNBA and the WNBPA both released official statements to reveal the plan ahead after the expiry of the revised deadline for the CBA negotiations.

The WNBA and WNBPA Statements About the CBA Negotiations Paint a Contrasting Picture

According to both parties, no new extension has been agreed upon, and the bodies will continue to negotiate in good faith to try and reach a mutual agreement.

There was a demonstration in front of the NBA Store as well, with an inflatable rat being displayed, which is universally tied to labour protests around the world. While the WNBA statement was more of a blanket account without divulging details, the WNBPA statement blamed the WNBA leadership and the teams for an inability to come to an agreement.

The WNBPA statement clarified that the players had been willing to compromise, but the same was not replicated in the WNBA’s actions during negotiations. WNBA Analyst Rachel Annamarie DeMita had earlier speculated that while the players revised their demand of revenue share to 30%, the WNBA had only been willing to offer somewhere between 15 to 17% in their offer.

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Furthermore, the WNBPA statement felt more like an appeal to the WNBA and all the stakeholders in general to resolve the matter with a sense of urgency. However, a case can also be made that the WNBPA ought to take a more professional route when making official statements, as the personalization can sometimes hurt the fans, whose voice will be crucial in making the two bodies come to a mutual agreement.

People have already seen Napheesa Collier’s remarks about the WNBA management not going down well with the public. And the WNBPA will hope they continue to have the fans in their favor during this negotiation phase that could very well become a historic point for women’s basketball.