The long fight for pay equity has finally come to an end. With the WNBA Board of Governors approving the latest CBA deal, things are looking as exciting as ever. With a secured 7-year contract in the bag, the players will now be able to worry less about the outside noise and more about their game.
Soon after the deal was finalized, names like Breanna Stewart expressed their happiness on the same. And now, as days pass by, more and more people are making sure to praise the relentless pursuit of the players. Local WNBA agent Chauntiel Smith-Jones was one of them.
Chauntiel Smith-Jones Doubles Down On ‘Phenomenal’ WNBA-CBA Deal
Smith-Jones is a sports fanatic. And to follow her dreams, the Fort Wayne-born built up Capture Sports Agency back in 2015. Since then, she has remained a witness to a lot of ups and downs in women’s sports. Yet, Smith-Jones has never seen such an uprising from all the players combined.
For almost seventeen months, all the WNBA players, along with the union, pushed for a better pay scale. Along with it, there were other clauses like housing and revenue sharing, which the front office seemed reluctant about at first. Thus, after successfully negotiating and confirming a historic deal, Smith-Jones praised the athletes’ tenacity.
Speaking with ‘Wayne 15,’ the local WNBA agent said, “It’s been monumental. Even after a year of negotiations and even the strike threats, this agreement validates how the players have been pushing for fair pay and a share in the league’s revenue and stuff like that. So it’s a huge turning point for women’s sports overall, which brings pride and joy to the league and the players in the league as well.”
WNBA Agent is happy with new CBA https://t.co/Rf0H2Tg4i9
— Debmallya Chakraborty (@DebmallyaC93340) March 26, 2026
Scroll to continue reading
Trending WNBA News
She also mentioned that the WNBA previously had limited roster spots. And thus, a lot of talented prospects failed to make it to the big stage. But the new CBA will solve this problem as well.
Elaborating on her take further, the WNBA agent also spoke on the pregnancy clause.
Chauntiel Smith-Jones Happy With The WNBA Pregnancy Clause Inclusion
Apart from all the monetary benefits, the new CBA deal also adds several important clauses. And one among them is surely the pregnancy clause. This clause states that during pregnancy, a franchise cannot trade a player against their will. In fact, they would have to take the consent of the concerned players to go ahead with the deal.
According to Smith-Jones, this is a game-changer. She told ‘Wayne 15,’ “A lot of athletes have played while pregnant in the league because they were afraid that if they left, they wouldn’t be able to come back, or they wouldn’t get paid for maternity leave.”
She further added, “So getting enhanced support for that, I think, is one of the biggest things that we needed.”
Thus, as things fall into place, fans are now waiting for the season to get underway.