WNBA players wear ‘pay us what you owe us’ shirts before All-Star game

INDIANAPOLIS — As players from Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, they all wore matching black shirts with “pay what you owe us” printed on the front. 

The tees made an appearance Saturday as the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and WNBA negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Below the text was a logo for the WNBPA, the players’ union, which announced on social media during the game that the shirts are now on sale.

Players opted out of the current CBA last October and are seeking a better revenue sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.

Talks on Thursday included at least 40 players, the largest attendance ever for collective bargaining negotiations, and ended after a couple of hours, according to the Associated Press.

WNBA players characterized the meeting as a “missed opportunity,” according to ESPN, but said they’re hopeful more constructive discussions will happen as negotiations continue. 

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Saturday she feels optimistic that the league and the players’ union will be able to come to a new agreement at some point, even if it’s after the October deadline.

“I’m not going to put an exact date on it,” she said. “We’ve got some room to continue negotiations if we’re close at that point.”

There’s a lot of money coming into the league over the next few years with a new 11-year media rights deal worth over $2.2 billion, three new expansion teams that each paid $250 million in fees and many new sponsors.

The players top priorities are greatly increased salaries and a revenue sharing plan which Engelbert understands.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.