The 2025 Finals MVP, A’ja Wilson, is on a roll in the offseason and is giving interviews. She was on Kylie Kelce’s podcast recently, where the Philadelphia native tried to recruit Wilson to the upcoming Philadelphia WNBA team. While the Aces’ star showed her loyalty on the topic, she also demonstrated loyalty to the WNBPA, clarifying the misconception about the players’ demands.
The WNBA and WNBPA discussions have been ongoing for nearly 10 months, with the players warned in January about a possible shutdown of the next season. Now, after the end of the 2025 season and nearing the end of the ‘extended’ period, there is no solution from either party.
A’ja Wilson Talks About WNBA Salaries Matching NBA
At the start of the CBA discussions, there were rumors that the WNBA layers are looking for the NBA-type salaries, which was ‘unrealistic demand’ as per many analysts. But the 29-year-old cleared the narrative while answering a few questions on the podcast.
Wilson said, “That we just want to get paid like the guys. I hate when people say that…The biggest thing is just meeting the fair agreement of what we are discussing. It’s never what the NBA is doing. It’s never, ‘We want to be paid what they got.’ No, we understand that that’s not how the business works, but we also understand what we’re missing within our own business. The revenue share is missing in our own business and in our own checks.”
Revenue sharing has been a key point of discussion for the WNBPA, which aims for a higher NBA-like revenue sharing structure that depends on BRE – basketball-related earnings. The league, however, is looking to pay off the debts first through higher earnings, which is causing the delay in confirming the new agreement.
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This is not the first time our-time MVP spoke about CBA or pay parity. She even gave advice to the league commissioner, which would help them reach the CBA earlier than expected.
A’ja Wilson With Relationship Advice To WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert
During the WNBA finals series, Cathy Engelnbert was under fire with criticism from Napheesa Collier and other players for her stand on the CBA and players’ off-court earnings. The NBA commissioner also agreed that there is some ‘relationship gap’ between players and league authority, which is hampering the CBA talks and even delaying them.
Wilson advised the commissioner about building relations, as she said, “I think the biggest thing for me is relationship building. Getting to know players and getting to know us, what we want, what we believe in, and our stories. I think that’s key for me. When I think of a commissioner or whatever, I’m looking at it as kind of like a coach, we’re trusting you to do things.”
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson said relationship building is the ideal trait that she’s looking for in a commissioner.
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) October 9, 2025
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Wilson even had a funny reaction to fans booing Engelbert during the WNBA Trophy presentation. Failure to keep up with the players, on the contrary, making bold statements over their off-court ventures, hampered the relationships and affected the negotiations.