Sophie Cunningham blasts WNBA labor talks, calling the ongoing stalemate a "laughingstock" as player-owner negotiations remain stalled.
Sophie Cunningham did not mince words when describing how ongoing labor negotiations are reflecting on the WNBA, saying the league’s prolonged silence has turned a critical moment into a public misstep.
Speaking on her podcast amid stalled collective bargaining talks, Cunningham said the league’s handling of negotiations with players has damaged its credibility at a time when momentum should be accelerating. Her comments come as the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association remain without a new agreement weeks after the previous deal expired.
Cunningham, who played for the Indiana Fever last season and is currently an unrestricted free agent, made the remarks on her “Show Me Something” podcast, according to the Indianapolis Star.
She framed the current state of negotiations as both frustrating and damaging to the league’s image.
“It sucks, because how our negotiation is going, how all that’s going, it’s like we’re the laughingstock of sports right now,” Cunningham said.
Her comments followed an in-person meeting Monday in New York that many players hoped would restart progress. Instead, the session ended without the league presenting a written proposal, extending a standstill that has now frozen free agency and created uncertainty around the 2026 season calendar.
Cunningham said players are eager for movement but remain firm in their position as talks continue.
“Negotiations are in process … in hopes of getting things moving because they have not been moving, at all,” she said. “Both sides are kinda getting frustrated, but I know us players are holding our ground, so it should be interesting.”
The previous collective bargaining agreement expired Jan. 9 after two short-term extensions, placing the league and union in a status quo period. Free agency, which was expected to open in mid-January, remains on hold until a new deal is finalized.
At the heart of the dispute are familiar issues, including revenue sharing, player salaries, and team-provided housing. Under the prior agreement, players received roughly 9.3% of league revenue — a figure many view as increasingly outdated given the WNBA’s recent growth in attendance, media exposure, and star power.
Cunningham argued that investing more aggressively in players would have ripple effects across the league, both competitively and financially.
“At the end of the day, depending on how these negotiations go, if you give those players what — you’re going to get all the best players,” she said. “Therefore, you’re gonna win. Therefore your ticket sales are gonna be up. Everything’s gonna be up.”
Her comments reflect a broader sentiment among players who believe the league is at a crossroads. With the 2026 season scheduled to begin May 8 and training camps typically opening in mid-April, the absence of a new agreement is beginning to place real pressure on the calendar.
For Cunningham, the concern goes beyond logistics. She framed the moment as a test of whether the league can match its recent surge in popularity with structural progress behind the scenes — or risk undermining it.
As talks continue, players remain publicly unified in calling for urgency. Whether the league responds in time to avoid further fallout remains the unanswered question hovering over the WNBA’s offseason.