Players prioritize a fair WNBA deal over deadlines, with revenue sharing and housing at the heart of crucial negotiations.
Nneka Ogwumike isn’t measuring the WNBA’s ongoing labor talks by deadlines or optics. For the longtime union leader, the stakes are bigger than a timetable.
Speaking in an interview published this week by SB Nation, Ogwumike offered rare insight into the tone and substance of negotiations between the league and the WNBPA as the sides work toward a new collective bargaining agreement.
The negotiations come at a moment of rapid growth for the WNBA, which is coming off multiple highly rated seasons and is preparing to welcome two expansion teams this spring. With the regular season scheduled to open May 8, talks remain unresolved, with revenue sharing and housing among the central issues still separating players and ownership.
Ogwumike acknowledged that the process has extended longer than ideal but emphasized that speed is not the primary objective.
In remarks given during a phone interview from the Women’s Leadership Summit at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Ogwumike framed the negotiations as a defining moment for the league and its players.
“We feel like the moment is there — we feel like we’re in that historical moment,” Ogwumike said.
She described the opportunity to negotiate during a period of rising league valuation as both meaningful and motivating, particularly for players who helped build the foundation of the WNBA before its recent surge in visibility and investment.
Ogwumike said the union has remained unified throughout the talks, even as patience has been tested.
“I feel like we are exercising some amazing patience, and I feel like we’re unified in that,” she said.
She added that while the union understands the importance of negotiating in good faith, there are specific priorities the players are unwilling to compromise.
One theme Ogwumike returned to repeatedly was the idea that the quality of the agreement matters more than meeting a predetermined deadline.
“We want a good deal, rather than one that’s done in a fashion that suits a schedule,” she said.
Ogwumike stressed that players are eager to compete but believe meaningful progress at the bargaining table is essential to sustaining the league’s momentum.
Despite the weight of the negotiations, Ogwumike expressed optimism about the outcome and gratitude for the position players now occupy within the sport.
“We’re playing in a league that people dreamed of,” she said.
Rather than framing the moment as stressful, Ogwumike described it as a source of motivation and inspiration — one she believes can lead to another landmark chapter in the WNBA’s evolution.