Breanna Stewart 'absolutely frustrated' by WNBA’s refusal to engage in meaningful CBA conversations

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends at the end of the 2025 season. The negotiations between the WNBA and the players' association haven't been going to plan, according to the players. WNBA Players' Association member Breanna Stewart expressed her frustration on Thursday, revealing the WNBA’s refusal to engage in meaningful conversations.

Two days after Mercury forward Satou Sabally deemed the league's opening offer a "slap in the face," Stewart expressed her frustration over the league's refusal to hold earnest discussions, claiming they "ignored" the players' demands.

"Absolutely frustrated," she said. "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."

"There’ll be a pretty big meeting in Indy between both sides, and hopefully we’ll be able to talk through it a little bit more rather than just email and messaging back-and-forth," Stewart continued.

If an agreement cannot be reached, a lockout would hamper the growth. Amid this controversial period, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has come under heavy scrutiny.

The WNBA has grown considerably in the past few years, with the league growing in stature and securing new national TV rights in 2024. Additionally, the league announced the plan to instate three new expansion teams by 2030.

Breanna Stewart reflects on her team's four-game away streak after securing victory against Sparks at home

The New York Liberty endured a rough patch at the end of June as they played four consecutive games on the road. During this period, they won once and lost four, losing ground on the Minnesota Lynx.

Breanna Stewart opened up on her team's rough patch after their win at home to the LA Sparks on Thursday. Explaining how the away trip was a reality check, the former MVP said:

"To know that we're back home, know we have our fans behind us. The road trip was tough, rough, there was a lot of things that you could look at and be like, "Wow, we sucked it a lot." We had a kind of reality check, lock back in and really focus on ourselves." (12:40 onwards)

The Liberty beat the Sparks 89-79, earning their first win after two consecutive losses. They will host the Seattle Storm in their next game and will hope to clinch back-to-back wins for the first time in eight games.