The WNBA is reeling at the moment. Unfortunately for the league, after so many years of being in the shadows, the league has just witnessed a major boom. With the emergence of talents like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, things were looking pretty good for the WNBA.
But alas! Everything is on the verge of falling off of the latest players’ protest taking place. At the moment, the players have granted the WNBA a 30-day CBA lifeline. And if things do not get sorted out within the time frame, the threat of a work stoppage looms large.
Meanwhile, looking at the key names of the players’ protest, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart have emerged as the main voices. And while they are trying to make the WNBA value its players, Sophie Cunningham hinted at a possible conflict of interest.
What Did Sophie Cunningham Say About Napheesa Collier And Breanna Stewart?
Since last year, the 3-on-3 league of Unrivaled has gained immense popularity. Setting a high standard, things are looking quite bright for the league. Owing to its huge success last year, the league has garnered some big-name players this year.
And one of the main USPs of the league is its high pay. The salaries of Unrivaled, when compared with the WNBA, look pretty impressive. With the likes of Bueckers being thrilled to play in Unrivaled, things are not looking good for the WNBA.
Meanwhile, speaking about the same, Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham made some interesting comments. She pointed out that the likes of Collier and Stewart are the founding members of Unrivaled. Thus, there might be a possibility of conflict of interest.
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“This is good, this is kind of some tea. So both of [Collier and Stewart], great f****** players, right? Like, phenomenal. But they are also a part of [the WNBA’s] exec board. And so that could be a little conflict of interest, because W and Unrivaled. That’s why there’s some conflict of interest, a little bit. So that’s interesting,” said Cunningham.
Surely, such comments are pretty interesting considering the fact that Cunningham is not playing Unrivaled this year. Meanwhile, looking at the CBA scenario, the Fever star recently vented out her frustrations.
Sophie Cunningham Frustrated With Ongoing CBA Fiasco
As Collier has been adamant in her stand about getting a fair share of revenue, the WNBA leadership has responded positively. This led the Minnesota Lynx star to lash out at Cathy Engelbert. Accusing her of an alleged lack of accountability, the situation is taking a grim turn in the WNBA.
And looking at the proceedings, Cunningham could not be more frustrated. She said, “I actually learned a lot because we have been having CBA calls. I know it’s actually very intriguing. Like, I love the business side of things, but when you don’t know, you don’t know. So I thought that if we didn’t have an agreement by the 31st, then it was a lockout, but that’s not true. So you can if both sides are continuing to negotiate and trying to come up with something, then you’re still not in a lockout.”
Thus, all in all, with the players not backing down from their plea, it remains to be seen whether the WNBA finally grants its players’ wishes in the future or not.