The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game was punctuated by a bold display from the All-Stars as CBA negotiations loom.
The WNBA players made a bold statement at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game July 19, wearing black T-shirts for warm-ups that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us."
While the weekend was centered on celebrating the 2025 season, it was also a big opportunity for players to have a face-to-face meeting with the league on collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
The current contract expires at the end of the 2025 season.
Phoenix Mercury All-Star and WNBPA representative Satou Sabally pulled out of the game due to her ankle injury, but she shared on her social media that she was going for the "most important part of the weekend."
Sabally was among more than 40 players who turned out for the first meeting with league officials in months.
Fans are chanting “Pay them! Pay them!” to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert as she talks following the game: pic.twitter.com/v8XgH0VDOt
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) July 20, 2025
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark shared ahead of the All-Star Game that the players successfully sent a "powerful" message to league representatives.
"That’s one of the things we're in the room fighting for," Clark said. "We should be paid more, and hopefully that’s the case moving forward as the league continues to grow.
"I think that’s something that’s probably the most important thing that we are in the room advocating about."
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the meeting "constructive," but didn't say if the deal would be done by the Oct. 31 deadline.
"Last time I think we got the CBA done mid-January. I think it was actually January 15 or something like that," Engelbert said. "So obviously I have confidence we can get something done by October, but I'm not going to put an exact date on it because if we're in a good place, we're going back and forth, there's a few remaining issues, we can extend dates here and there.
"We have to have an expansion draft, free agency period, college draft by the time March Madness gets over for the women's game."
After putting on a bold display in warm-ups, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Team Collier had a big offensive showing against Team Clark, winning 151-131.
Thomas saw action within the first three minutes of the first quarter and quickly assisted on a 3-point jumper from Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins and a layup from Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum.
As Team Collier continued to cruise ahead, Thomas played sparingly but contributed six points, four assists and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury's Alyssa Thomas joins WNBA stars' bold statement
Category: Basketball
