A'ja Wilson Sends Blunt 3-Word Message on WNBA CBA Negotiation Mindset
Negotiations are well underway for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and its players. While these discussions have been going on for months, the meeting that took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, right before the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend festivities kicked off last week got a lot of attention, given that over 40 players were present for it.
Not to mention that this meeting not having gone well was a key part in the All-Stars deciding to wear shirts that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us" on the court while warming up before the July 19 All-Star Game. These shirts are going supremely viral and have made the CBA negotiations a focal point of discussion for sports and pop culture media.
A'ja Wilson Gets Extremely Clear About WNBA CBA Negotiations
Las Vegas Aces star forward and reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson is one of the All-Stars who wore these shirts before last Saturday's game. And during her appearance on a Boardroom podcast that was live last weekend but was published on YouTube on July 24, Wilson got honest about her mindset regarding the CBA.
"Standing on business," Wilson said when asked about the conversations and mindset the league's players are having amid these CBA negotiations. "Understanding that we are a business, and we are a brand, and see the money coming in, we see the increase in everything. So it's like, alright, let's continue to put out a great product, but let's pay that product.
"And standing together in that, I think that's what's going to help our league take that next step," she added. Wilson later continued by saying, "This is definitely a point in time that we're not trying to shake. This is our moment to, like I said, stand on business and what we've been working so hard on, to get our demands. And that's what we're gonna continue to do... We're putting the pressure on them."
Wilson asserting her peers are "standing on business" speaks volumes about their unwillingness to relent amid these tense negotiations.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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