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# WNBA, WNBPA Finally Meeting In-Person To Discuss CBA
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/wnba-wnbpa-finally-meeting-in-person-to-discuss-cba/
- Published: 2026-02-02T01:37:09.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:16:07.000Z
- Author: Connor Benintendi
- Tags: Storm, WNBA Draft, WNBA

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1469"\]

![  An in-person meeting between player representatives and the WNBA is set for Monday in New York. It could be the step they need to make sure the 2026 season begins on time. Credit: John Mac  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/ogwumike-2-format-original.jpg)

An in-person meeting between player representatives and the WNBA is set for Monday in New York. It could be the step they need to make sure the 2026 season begins on time. Credit: John Mac \[/caption\]

The WNBA and its players union may finally make some progress on a new collective bargaining agreement next week.

According to a [report from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/%5F/id/47780037/wnba-players-union-meet-person-monday-discuss-cba?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com), the WNBPA will have an in-person meeting with league brass in New York on Monday in hopes of making progress on discussions that have stalled for months.

The deadline for a new CBA, which had already been extended to Jan. 9, passed. A [moratorium on business was agreed upon](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/what-wnba-moratorium-on-business-means-for-seattle-storm), as players were unlikely to negotiate under the previous CBA.

Nearly a month later, the two sides are set to reconvene. If the league is still hoping to begin the season on May 8, progress is no longer optional. League leadership, the labor relationship committee and team owners will meet with WNBPA executive committee members Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum and Napheesa Collier, per Philippou.

Ogwumike, who has spent the last two seasons with the Seattle Storm, is the WNBPA president. In an [interview with SB Nation in late January](https://www.sbnation.com/womens-sports/1101783/nneka-ogwumike-goes-behind-the-scenes-on-cba-negotations?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com), Ogwumike acknowledged how the condensed timeline is concerning, while reinforcing that there are things the players won’t budge on.

“Ideally, this would have gotten done a little bit earlier, but we want a good deal, rather than one that’s done in a fashion that suits a schedule,” Ogwumike said. “And so we’re looking forward to being able to come out of this proud of what we’ve negotiated, proud of the process, while also looking forward to having a season. Our players want to play, we want to play, but we also want to be valued on the court — and that’s something that we’re negotiating for today.”

The new CBA will be transformative in many ways. Players will be paid more under what will likely be a different structure, the core designation may disappear (or be reworked) and, with the majority of the league being free agents, there could be a ton of players finding new homes.

All the offseason items, including free agency, expansion drafts and the WNBA Draft, among other business, have to somehow get squeezed into a condensed timeline. That impacts all teams, including the Storm.

A decision, or at least a plan on getting to a decision, gets new Storm head coach Sonia Raman much closer to knowing what her team will look like in 2026\. For now, the only absolute certainty is Dominique Malonga — the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft — and another top-tier pick at No. 3 this year.

All other players, even the role players still under contract, could be on the table to be moved. But there’s still just too much uncertainty.

“I think we'll learn a lot from this meeting,” Plum told Philippou. “This is a meeting that, I think, everyone understands what’s at stake, timeline-wise.

“I think the thing is just sitting down and understanding the relationship and conversation, I think, is No. 1\. Let’s be real: When we play telephone with people in our own lives, a lot of times things can get scattered, right? So to be able to sit down face-to-face and say ‘this is how I feel, this is how you feel, let’s see what we can do from there.’”

In the meantime, the 2026 WNBA season remains uncertain. The two sides coming back together is a step in the right direction, but if the two sides are as far apart as reports have said they are, that doesn’t make any deal imminent.