Kelsey Plum spearheads crucial talks in New York, aiming to reignite stalled CBA negotiations and secure a brighter future for WNBA players.
Kelsey Plum confirmed Friday that league officials and player representatives are scheduled to meet face-to-face in New York City on Monday. Amid all the delay and back and forth, this development could restart momentum in long-running collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBPA.
According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Plum, the union’s first vice president, shared the update during media availability, calling the meeting a necessary step after weeks of silence. It will be the first formal session since the players’ union submitted its most recent proposal more than a month ago without a response from the league.
“Kelsey Plum says there will be a player meeting with the league on Monday in NYC," Alexa Philippou wrote. “Not everyone can make it but mentions Napheesa Collier will also attend. Hope is some owners will be there too. Plum hopes being face to face with management will help convos move forward.”
Additionally, Napheesa Collier, the WNBPA’s vice president, is expected to attend, and there is optimism that some team owners may also be present.
The meeting comes at a critical point in the process. Negotiations entered a “status quo” period on Jan. 9 after multiple deadline extensions, freezing current working conditions while talks continue.
Under that framework, neither side can initiate a work stoppage without proper notice, though players have already authorized union leadership to call a strike if necessary.
Plum emphasized the stakes involved, noting that both sides are acutely aware of the timelines ahead. The 2026 season is scheduled to tip off May 8, marking the league’s 30th year, but that milestone hinges on a new agreement being finalized.
At the heart of the impasse are disagreements over revenue sharing and salary structure. The league has proposed a model that would allocate more than 70 percent of net revenue to players, including a maximum base salary of $1 million and a revenue-sharing mechanism that could push total earnings beyond $1.3 million in 2026, with further growth over the life of the deal. Minimum and average salaries would also see significant increases.
Players, however, continue to push for stronger guarantees, particularly around whether revenue sharing should be calculated from net or gross income, the overall percentage split, and the construction of the salary cap. Those differences have kept the sides apart even as the league’s popularity and revenues climb.
Monday’s meeting in New York does not guarantee a breakthrough, but it represents the clearest sign yet that negotiations are moving back into an active phase.