Cunningham blasts WNBA negotiations, fearing a season-threatening "laughingstock" status amidst stalled talks and frozen free agency.
With just over three months remaining before the scheduled start of the 2026 season, uncertainty surrounding the WNBA’s collective bargaining negotiations is spilling again and again into public view, and Sophie Cunningham is not holding anything back.
Speaking on her Show Me Something podcast, Sophie voiced her frustration with how the standoff is being perceived beyond women’s basketball, delivering the sharpest public criticism yet of the negotiations.
“Our negotiation and all that, how that's going, it's like we're the laughing stock of sports right now,” Cunningham said.
Meanwhile, the WNBA and the WNBPA met in person on February 2 for the first time since October, but the meeting ended without a new proposal from the league. According to multiple reports, the sides spent the three-hour session explaining existing positions rather than advancing toward a resolution, extending a stalemate that has already frozen free agency and raised concerns about the upcoming season.
Cunningham acknowledged that both sides are frustrated but emphasized that progress has been minimal since talks resumed.
“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 current CBA expired on January 9 after two extensions, placing the league in a status quo period. Free agency, which was set to begin in mid-January, remains under a rock.
The most significant sticking points include revenue sharing, salary structure, and long-term investment in players. Under the previous agreement, players received roughly 9.3% of league revenue, a figure the union has pushed to dramatically increase.
Sophie also took issue with the league’s public posture during negotiations, directing criticism toward Cathy Engelbert for not more aggressively championing the league and its players while talks remain unresolved.
Cunningham suggested that silence from leadership has only compounded frustration on both sides of the table, resulting in the ongoing stalemate.
However, the WNBA has never canceled games due to a labor dispute, but the timeline is tightening. Without a new agreement, the moratorium on free agency remains in place, and the May 8, 2026, season opener could be placed at risk.
As negotiations continue to drag on, players are increasingly signaling that patience is wearing thin, and Cunningham’s remarks reflect a broader unease about how long the league can afford to wait.