Breanna Stewart pushes for marathon talks to seal WNBA's CBA, emphasizing player well-being and a unified fight for the best deal.
WNBA star Breanna Stewart wants both sides of the league's collective bargaining dispute in the same room until a deal gets done.
Speaking Saturday at USA Basketball training camp in Miami, the New York Liberty forward and WNBPA vice president said she would welcome an in-person marathon bargaining session — and that she is available to participate in one.
"I think that would be great for us all to sit in a room until we really get it done," Stewart said, via Front Office Sports. "If that means sitting in there for hours and hours at a time, let's do it. That's for the better of the player. While a situation like that has never happened before, there's a first time for everything."
Stewart will not travel to Puerto Rico for the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, citing her EuroLeague Women commitments with Fenerbahce in April. She said she plans to return to New York during the break in competition, leaving her available for the kind of session she is pushing for.
Her comments come amid one of the more turbulent stretches of the negotiation. Stewart and fellow executive committee member Kelsey Plum drew scrutiny this week after ESPN obtained a three-page letter they wrote to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson expressing concerns about player involvement in the process. The letter called for a more pragmatic approach and suggested the union begin negotiating off the league's revenue-sharing proposals.
Stewart told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the letter was never meant to become public.
"This is a letter that was meant for Terri, and for the EC, for us to really have a conversation and stay strong in all the things that we're negotiating," Stewart said. "We are still unified and understanding what we're fighting for."
The WNBPA's seven-player executive committee responded Wednesday with a joint statement saying the union remains "focused on delivering a transformational CBA for all members." The statement also referenced the December player vote authorizing the executive committee to call a strike if necessary.
Stewart said a union call Tuesday night left her more confident about where things stand.
"Sometimes hard conversations need to be had," she said. "I felt better after it and know that we finished that call understanding that we're representing the larger body of players and we have work to be done, and we're going to do that work."
On the possibility of the season beginning on schedule, Stewart was direct in expressing doubt.
"I think it'll be tight," Stewart said. "Hopefully, we do come to a resolution sooner rather than later. But even if we do, it's like these other things that need to happen need a moment. You shouldn't have to rush the expansion draft or free agency for the 100 and however many free agents. So, on time? I think it will be a little tough."
The league set its March 10 target date during a bargaining session Feb. 23. If no deal is reached by then, the WNBA has warned its 30th season is at risk of being delayed past the scheduled May 8 opener. Players submitted their latest counter to the league Friday night, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.