wnba labor negotiations pushed deep into the night in Midtown Manhattan as the league and players met Tuesday evening and kept talking into early Wednesday (ET). The meeting started shortly after 5: 00 p. m. ET Tuesday and was still going at 2: 00 a. m. ET Wednesday, as a league-imposed deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement to start the season on time passed on March 10 (ET). The session unfolded with limited public detail, even as the central dispute—how to share new money coming into the league—remained unresolved.
Deadline passes, talks continue in Midtown Manhattan
The league had set March 10 (ET) as its deadline for reaching a new collective bargaining agreement to start the season on time, and that date came and went Tuesday as the sides met. The negotiation took place at The Langham hotel in Midtown Manhattan, a location described as just blocks south of the NBA league office.
Few specifics emerged publicly from the lengthy session. The context, however, was clear: last week in Miami, two of the league’s biggest stars said the players and league should meet for marathon labor negotiation—and the parties did exactly that as the deadline hit.
The league’s March 10 deadline had only been communicated in recent weeks. The situation now stands with talks continuing beyond that marker, with no additional confirmed terms disclosed from inside the room.
Wnba money-sharing dispute remains the core gap
The central divide has remained consistent for more than a year: how to share the enormous amount of new money flooding into the wnba. The league eventually conceded to players on sharing a percentage of revenue, but the sides have remained far apart in recent weeks on key mechanics—how that revenue is calculated, and what percentage goes to players.
As talks stretched into the early hours, the absence of detailed readouts underlined how sensitive the discussions remain. What is known is limited to the location, timing, and the ongoing nature of the disagreement over revenue sharing formulas and percentages.
Who was in the room as negotiations ran past midnight
Multiple high-profile figures were present for Tuesday night’s session. Breanna Stewart, Alysha Clark, Nneka Ogwumike, and Bri Turner represented the players union, and they were joined by lawyers and administrators from both sides.
Also present was Clara Wu Tsai, identified as the billionaire owner of the Liberty. Her attendance underscored the stakes of the bargaining, as the sides worked past midnight with the season-timing deadline already expired (ET).
Quick context on the pressure point
The league had tied its March 10 (ET) deadline to starting the season on time. That deadline was communicated in recent weeks, while leagues have a history of imposing aggressive deadlines on unions and later retracting them when negotiations come down to brass tacks.
What’s next after the marathon session
The key immediate question is whether the two sides will reconvene quickly after negotiations continued until at least 2: 00 a. m. ET Wednesday. With the deadline passed and the core gap still centered on revenue calculations and percentages, the next confirmed development will be any official indication that the talks produced movement—or that another session is scheduled—while the wnba remains in active, late-night bargaining over a new agreement.
