"A whole new level of delusion": WNBA followers flame Caitlin Clark fan for bizarre conflict of interest claim in CBA negotiations

The WNBA and its players’ union, the WNBPA, are in talks over a new collective bargaining agreement, with key topics on the table including player salaries, league expansion, roster sizes and more.

While discussions continue, a user on X, who identifies as an Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark fan, falsely claimed that Breanna Stewart is the WNBPA president. They questioned whether Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who is the WNBPA vice president, were negotiating in bad faith due to their involvement in co-founding the offseason league Unrivaled, suggesting it could gain from a WNBA lockout.

However, Stewart is not the president — that position belongs to Nneka Ogwumike. Stewart is one of the WNBPA’s four vice presidents, along with first vice president Kelsey Plum, Alysha Clark and Collier. Fans were quick to call out the misinformation, with many slamming the post as outright ridiculous.

“This is a whole new level of delusion!” one said.

The original poster eventually admitted Ogwumike was the president but doubled down by saying their “point still stands.”

Unrivaled, which launched in January in Miami, aims to provide top WNBA players with a high-paying, domestic alternative to overseas leagues during the offseason. The league offers every player a six-figure salary and equity stakes.

That’s a big leap compared to current WNBA pay: in 2024, the minimum base salary is $64,150 and the supermax cap sits at $241,984. Unrivaled’s season spans just eight weeks during the WNBA’s offseason.

Here’s what others had to say:

Guy

@CloudResident99

LINK

Unrivaled isn’t a competitor to the W..

m ᥫ᭡⋆

@_summerchld

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“a league that benefits if there’s a wnba lockout” — whole time, unrivaled is only for like two months IN THE OFFSEASON with a handful of players. does that make sense to u?

Ntsika

@Snipershot30

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reading is a serious issue. im so serious. it clearly says VP and wouldn't you want someone who established a league that takes better care of players to be in negotiations of how to improve players' working conditions????

A'ja Wilson's White Tee

@PearlJewel73151

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"Benefits from a lockout" the league has a grand total of 36 players and the games are in THE OFF-SEASON!! why would they maliciously lock out 150+ players??

How are the WNBA CBA negotiations progressing?

When speaking to reporters Tuesday, Satou Sabally described the process as "a slap in the face," and Breanna Stewart echoed the sentiment Thursday, saying the WNBA's opening offer made the players feel "ignored."

"Absolutely frustrated," Stewart said (per Owen Pence). "Anytime you go back-and-forth, you're not expecting to hear that 'yes' on the first (proposal), but you're expecting to have a conversation. They kind of just ignored everything we said."

The negotiations come at a pivotal time, as the WNBA rides a wave of rising popularity, undergoes rapid expansion and recently finalized a new national TV rights deal as part of the NBA’s broader media package.