Women's National Basketball Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN on Friday that despite the union's strike authorization vote amid its current negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, the WNBA players still want to play next season.
"We're looking for a good deal to get done, but I think we're also prepared for whatever it takes for that to happen, while also understanding that we want a 2026 season," Ogwumike told ESPN. "We want to make sure that that season is the way that it can be best for us to put the product on the court and for that product to be valued."
The players voted on the strike authorization throughout the week, with 93% of players participating and 98% voting yes. The vote does not mean a strike is imminent; rather, it gives the WNBPA's seven-person executive committee the ability to vote on whether to strike should it be deemed necessary.
Ogwumike called the vote a "symbol of our unity and the confidence that we have in each other to be able to give ourselves some level of authority in these negotiations."
"This means we could possibly strike if we need to, but it doesn't mean that we want that to happen," Ogwumike said. "But we have it in our arsenal in order for us to get exactly what we need, which is a fair deal that represents our value in a very meaningful way."
A work stoppage, either a strike from the players or a lockout from the owners, has never occurred in the league's nearly 30-year history.
The players and league agreed to extend the current CBA and continue talks through Jan. 9, the second extension decided upon since the deal's original expiration date of Oct. 31. Even as the new deadline approaches, Ogwumike said she doesn't feel "like anything has substantially changed in our conversations," saying it almost feels like negotiations are "a bit in their infancy."
According to a source, the WNBA's latest proposal includes an uncapped revenue sharing model that would raise maximum salaries above $1.3 million (an increase from $249,244 in 2025) and up to nearly $2 million over the life of the deal; average salaries to above $530,000 (from $120,000 in 2025) and up to more than $770,000 over the life of the deal; and minimum salaries to in excess of $250,000 in the first year alone (up from $66,079 in 2025).
Although those figures are massive increases, Ogwumike says that the revenue sharing model proposed by the league is "not adequate, especially with the level of creativity and innovation from our side to try and meet them closer to their side of the table, because that hasn't been extended to us."
The union has proposed a system where players receive about 30% of gross revenue, a source told ESPN, as players have advocated for overhauling a system that, they have argued, has long undervalued them. The league meanwhile proposed a revenue sharing system that granted players less than 15% of net revenue, suggesting that although it wants to provide higher salaries, the WNBA requires a much higher percentage of revenue to cover operation costs than other major pro leagues.
Players are also concerned about the league seeking to eliminate team-provided housing, Ogwumike said, as well as a lack of infrastructure standardization.
Ogwumike also feels that there's room for greater "collaboration and cohesiveness across the table" three weeks away from the new deadline.
"I'm hopeful," Ogwumike said. "I want to play, and I know that I'm going to get a good deal done on behalf of these players, along with the amazing leadership of this executive committee. So I'm looking forward to seeing how conversations can be more collaborative."