Stars voice frustration over protracted CBA talks, demanding greater player input and transparency from union leadership.
Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart sent a three-page letter Monday to Women's National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Jackson expressing "serious concerns about how the PA is handling the current negotiations" for a new collective bargaining agreement, according to ESPN, which obtained the private communication Tuesday.
Plum, the union's first vice president, and Stewart, a vice president, wrote in the letter that they "do not feel like we have an adequate seat at the table in these negotiations" and requested "a changed dynamic between our PA administrators and the players."
The letter represents the most direct challenge yet to WNBPA leadership during what has become a protracted negotiating process. The players' association opted out of the previous CBA in October 2024, beginning a negotiation period that has now lasted approximately 17 months. Despite that timeline, Plum and Stewart wrote they had been "privy to details of these negotiations for less than two months, having first seen a proposal in January," per ESPN. They said they had "repeatedly" asked PA staff for information without receiving it.
"Despite a year and a half of negotiations, we have not been meaningfully engaged," the letter read.
The two outlined a specific list of information they had requested but not received. That list included a detailed breakdown of WNBA expenses and revenue, a comparative analysis of potential financial losses in a delayed or strike-shortened season versus possible gains from continued negotiations, a clear description of how rookie salaries will be structured and how they scale, information on distributions from OneTeam Partners, and a clear articulation of the executive committee's roles and responsibilities.
Plum and Stewart also described a troubling internal dynamic, writing that when they and other players have raised concerns about negotiations, they have been made to feel as though they are "acting against the interests of the PA," per ESPN. They added that many other players across the league share those frustrations but "feel afraid or unable to speak out."
WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson shared the letter with the full executive committee earlier Tuesday, according to ESPN.
It was unclear whether the other five members of the seven-player committee agreed with Plum and Stewart's characterizations. Sources told ESPN that some members are content with how negotiations have been handled.
The letter was sent less than a week before the March 10 date the league gave the WNBPA last month to complete a term sheet for a new CBA. The 2026 regular season is scheduled to begin May 8, with a college draft set for April 13, a two-team expansion draft, and free agency for more than 100 players all still to be resolved.