The WNBA-WNBPA CBA talks had been going on since the end of the 2024 season, when the players opted out of the 2020 CBA terms. And now, after nearly 18 months, the league and PA are still fighting for their ‘demands’. Ironically, the new Unrivaled league completed two seasons during that period, and now the co-founder, Napheesa Collier, is aggressive about the 3-on-3 league and compared it with the WNBA, too.
When speaking about the possibility of the strike or no 2026 WNBA Season, Natasha Cloud boldly mentioned that the players are ready with their alternatives. And now, in a recent interview, Collier spoke about ‘that’ alternative.
Napheesa Collier Drops Bombshell On WNBA-CBA Talks
The players’ association recently sent a proposal to the league, where they are looking to complete the deal before March 10, the date set by the league for the finalization. Many players criticized the league for playing a ‘dirty’ waiting game to force the deal on their terms, but the Lynx forward opposes such an idea and mentioned that the Unrivaled hands players a special opportunity.
Speaking to The Athletic in an exclusive interview, Collier said, “Players see here what professional life should look like, so it’s really hard, once you’ve been given that, to accept less. It gives us leverage. We don’t have to just accept anything you give us, because if you don’t give us what we’re owed, we have other places we can go.”
"We have other places that we can go."
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 8, 2026
Napheesa Collier discusses the relationship between the WNBA and Unrivaled.
Listen to Collier's full interview on The Athletic Show ⤵️https://t.co/AKSYX4TYPF pic.twitter.com/8KiaXZRLGU
The players are looking for better playing conditions, training facilities and also higher salaries. As per the former UConn star the Unrivaled league is providing all of that without even asking for it. And she mentioned that this is the biggest difference between the WNBA and her league.
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Incidentally, she even mentioned that the Unrivaled approached the WNBA for equity shares, but they denied it.
While the recent statement from the Unrivaled commissioner suggests a huge $18m revenue jump from the last season, the co-founder underlines the difficulty in starting the league itself.
Napheesa Collier Spoke About Difficulties At the Start
Two of the WNBA’s top players launched the 3-on-3 league to provide an offseason platform for women’s basketball stars. In a recent interview, the versatile forward mentioned that it was difficult at first, but they believed in their product.
“We came up with 3-on-3 pretty early, even though we knew it was going to be a hard sell in the beginning because it’s different. We knew we had to have the best players because that is what people want to see. The best players in the world going against each other,” Collier said.
The new league is now expanding as Collier boldly mentioned St. Louis as its next destination.