Conflict of interest between Unrivaled, WNBA is becoming a glaring issue

Negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBAPA over a new labor deal continue to drag on as the March 11 deadline provided by the league draws nearer. Per the league, failing to reach an agreement by then could result in the 2026 regular season schedule being affected.

WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum spoke freely about the negotiations, calling the league’s latest offer a “significant win,” according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

“I want to play, and players want to play,” Plum said at Unrivaled shootaround prior to Monday night’s semifinal games in Brooklyn. “And so obviously we’re going to continue to negotiate and do everything we possibly can to get this done in a timely fashion.

“But obviously a strike would be the worst thing for both sides, because we are in a revenue [sharing system], so no revenue, no revenue to share.”

A key issue between the two sides remains revenue sharing, with the players seeking 30% of gross revenue (before deducting expenses), and the league proposing 70% of net revenue (after deducting expenses).

The regular season is set to tip off on May 8, but a strike could throw everything, potentially including recent progress in negotiations awry.

“I’ve always been someone that’s focused on the gain, not the gap,” Plum said. “And to be honest, I think if you look at where we’ve come from, shoot, since I came into the league until now, and now that we’re in a revenue share, it’s a tremendous win.

“Obviously, we’re going to continue to negotiate. I can’t emphasize that enough. Like we’re not just settling. I want to be very clear about that. But I’m super proud to be a part of this opportunity to change women’s sports.”

Plum’s comments came during a shootaround session prior to Monday night’s semifinal games for Unrivaled in Brooklyn. Unrivaled serves as a three-on-three domestic offseason league that serves as an alternative to playing overseas in the offseason, a popular choice for many of the WNBA’s athletes.

However, a brutal injury has helped to expose the lingering issues of the WNBA and Unrivaled, which was co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, coexisting.

Indiana Fever star Aaliyah Boston is coming off a dominant WNBA season in her young career, being named an All-Star and averaging 15 points on the campaign. Unfortunately, Boston, who won Defensive Player of the Year in Unrivaled, went down with an injury that will keep her out of the Unrivaled playoffs.

Aliyah Boston has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to right lower extremity injury. pic.twitter.com/5sHea38iHP

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 1, 2026

Now, Boston’s availability not only for the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers with Team USA is in question, but her status for the beginning of her 2026 WNBA campaign with the Fever is also up in the air.

Boston’s injury highlights just how intense the strain of playing year-round is for the athletes involved, and the ramifications that offseason leagues can have on the WNBA’s season.

It’s an issue that the WNBA is well aware of, with it pushing for exclusivity in the next labor deal, but the players’ union is standing firm in its objection to the notion. There’s no telling if compromising and promising exclusivity could help push the negotiations further toward the 30% of gross that the players are seeking, but conflicting interests could stand in the way of such a deal.

Collier and Stewart are both vice presidents of the WNBAPA, and logic would suggest that the two would have little interest in agreeing to WNBA exclusivity in a labor deal, even if it would push a deal over the finish line.

It’s clear that concessions will have to be made in order for a deal to be struck ahead of the league’s March 11 deadline. The question is if Stewart and Collier would be willing to put the WNBA’s interests above thier own should that moment arrive.