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As the WNBA players gather in Indianapolis for All-Star Weekend, there's another layer to the story, as the players and the league continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. But as of now, the WNBA and its players are still struggling to see eye-to-eye — and the players are not afraid to be outspoken about their concerns.
In interviews with the media on Friday, Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams pointed out one of the biggest problems that the players have with the league's stance, beyond salary: competition. The WNBA, who has has a history of being somewhat hostile towards international leagues, has begun to act similarly to domestic offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited.
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Williams, who has long been vocally critical about the WNBA's structure, did not mince words about how things appeared in Thursday's CBA meeting.
"It's very clear that the league wants to push away all other leagues," Williams said, via Desert Wave Media. "It would make sense if they were paying us more here, but it still isn't the case, even with the new proposals. And it's very clear now that they wanna push Unrivaled out, push AU out."
Williams has played for the Storm for the past four seasons, but has balanced that with international play, most recently with Turkish basketball club Fenerbahçe. While she has yet to join any of the domestic leagues, the forward has been outspoken about overseas and offseason play as a way to make more money, expressing her discontent with the WNBA's pay structure on multiple occasions.
"I'm also shying away from the W because teams aren’t touching what I’m making in Europe," Williams said at an exit interview in 2022.
Williams missed a chunk of last season preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics as part of Team France, but returned to the Storm in the second half of the 2024 season. She has played all of this year with Seattle so far, earning her first All-Star nod in the process.
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Players who play during the WNBA offseason do so for one reason: money. Most WNBA salaries are in the low six figures, with the maximum contracts at $250,000 per season. Rookies make less than $100,000 per year; Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, will make $78,831 this season from the WNBA. As a result, players supplement their income with sponsorships and, more often, by playing on international and domestic teams in the offseason.
The WNBA has long tried to find ways to limit overseas and offseason play. The controversial "prioritization clause," introduced in 2023, fines players who miss the beginning of WNBA training due to overseas competitions, forcing them to prioritize the WNBA over other leagues.
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Unrivaled was formed largely in response to this rule, with founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier envisioning a domestic league that would take place firmly in the WNBA offseason while still offering sufficient pay.
Every member of Unrivaled earned a minimum of six figures for the three-month season, plus equity. Other contests add a chance for additional income: Collier won the one-on-one competition, earning $200,000 — just under her annual WNBA salary this season.
Athletes Unlimited does not pay nearly as much, but still offers a domestic alternative to overseas play, which can come with risks. (Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for nearly a year while traveling to play overseas, spent this past offseason playing with Unrivaled.)
As of now, the WNBA has not tried to cut off players from participating in these two offseason leagues. But, if Williams is right, the league may be starting to show some hostility towards Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited for being direct competition — and that may be just another thing that the WNBA and its players disagree on for this CBA.
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