Knews Sports 25 July 2025 Hits: 29

WNBA Insider Says Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Bueckers 'Unified' with Players on CBA

Knews Sports 25 July 2025 Hits: 29

Following a show of solidarity at the WNBA All-Star Game last weekend, all generations of WNBA players have reportedly formed a united front in their quest for a new and more favorable collective bargaining agreement.

All 22 All-Stars on hand for the game wore shirts that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us," which was a clear message to the league and the owners.

"Pay us what you owe us."

Players making their voices heard ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/8ZFtzqy3QP
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 20, 2025

According to ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Ramona Shelburne, a league source noted that the WNBA's three biggest, young stars in Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers all made it clear they were on board with the rest of the players in their pursuit of higher wages: "It was super important that they all decided, 'Yes, we'll do this.' Caitlin did it, Angel did it. They were both at the [Thursday] meeting. Paige did it. They are bought in, they're serious about this, and they're unified."

Per Philippou and Shelburne, 40 players were in attendance for CBA negotiations with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert two days before the WNBA All-Star Game, but little progress was made.

That led to a players-only meeting prior to the WNBA All-Star Game to discuss potentially putting together a demonstration in order to declare their stance publicly.

All 22 All-Stars needed to be on board in order to move forward, and after the meeting and a visit to Team Clark's locker room before the All-Star Game, it was decided that the players were all on the same page.

Interest in the WNBA has exploded since last year, and much of that is thanks to the infusion of young talent in the league, starting with the 2024 No. 1 overall pick in Clark and the 2024 No. 7 overall pick in Reese.

That continued this year when the Dallas Wings took Bueckers first overall in the 2025 WNBA draft, fresh off her winning a national championship at UConn.

Last season, the WNBA set several all-time records, including 54 million unique viewers and an average of 1.19 million viewers per game on ESPN platforms.

The league also improved its attendance by 48 percent compared to 2023, and had its highest attendance total in 22 years.

Last year, the WNBA secured an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal, valued at around $2.2 billion in total and $200 million per year, according to Philippou.

That agreement was likely the impetus for players wanting a significant pay increase in the next CBA with the current one set to expire on Oct. 31.

The league boasts as much star power as ever before, and all of the top players being in alignment could be a powerful tool for them in negotiations.