The secret to securing a lucrative deal.
WNBA Star Sheds Light on Hidden Bargaining Chip Driving This Year’s CBA Talks originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
As forward Napheesa Collier enjoys a career-best campaign, averaging 23.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, she’s also at the center of a labor battle that could reshape women’s professional basketball.
Balancing motherhood, franchise‑player duties and union leadership, Collier’s newest card is the league she co‑founded: Unrivaled.
Her comments to ESPN's Kendra Andrews on Wednesday shine a light on how a startup venture could become a bargaining chip in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations.
Collier points out that even if Unrivaled isn’t a direct rival, its lucrative pay gives WNBA players a real "leg up" at the bargaining table.
"Look how much Unrivaled is paying us," Collier said. "That should allow us to make more money in the W. I feel like it gives us a leg up because it gives us players more power. There is more than one league we can play in, and we all want to play in the WNBA."
She admits the talks are "complicated" and that she’s "still navigating it," acknowledging that "you’re never going to please everyone" and that making sense of competing interests means compartmentalizing and taking things as they come.
Unrivaled: A New Player in the Game
In January, Collier and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart unveiled Unrivaled, a 3‑on‑3 league designed to give top women’s players more control, more perks and, in a blunt departure from WNBA norms, far richer pay packages.
According to The Associated Press, the eight‑week inaugural season featured 36 WNBA players and an $8 million salary pool, delivering an average salary north of $220,000, nearly matching the WNBA’s 2025 maximum base contract of $249,244.
On top of that, Unrivaled offers a guaranteed minimum salary of $100,000 for all players, a $250,000 bonus for winning the one‑on‑one tournament and a $50,000 championship bonus for each playoff‑winning player.
Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is reportedly set to earn more in her first season in Unrivaled than the entire value of her four-year WNBA contract, which is worth about $350,000.
The CBA at a Crossroads: What This Means for the WNBA
The current WNBA CBA, which players opted out of last October, expires on Oct. 31, setting a firm deadline for a new agreement.
As All‑Star weekend wound down in Indianapolis, players donned "Pay Us What You Owe Us" warmups to amplify demands for revenue sharing and salary increases that reflect the league’s historic growth: viewership up 23%, attendance up 26% and merchandise sales up 40% under a freshly inked $2.2 billion media rights deal.
Yet league proposals so far have fallen short of player expectations, and union leaders have openly discussed lockout preparations should talks stall.
Unrivaled isn’t the only alternative nudging WNBA negotiators: Athletes Unlimited, overseas markets and soon, other domestic leagues, stand ready to absorb talent if a work stoppage becomes reality.
Collier has maintained cordial ties with league boss Cathy Engelbert, who even consulted on Unrivaled’s launch, but she and her peers are clear-eyed about using every option on the table.
With Unrivaled setting the standard for six‑figure pay and revenue share, WNBA stars can credibly push for parity in compensation models.
If Collier and Co. secure a deal that bridges the gap between Unrivaled’s rich contracts and the WNBA’s current maximums, it could mark the most transformative labor settlement in league history, bolstering the sport's stability and intensifying competition for player signings.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
