Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark speak on WNBA CBA negotiations at USA Basketball camp

While WNBA superstars went through USA Basketball Training Camp, they also recognized the importance of the CBA negotiations.

Aug 29, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Dream in the fourth quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The USA Basketball training camp just wrapped up for some of the top women's basketball stars on Sunday, the first step of preparation for the 2026 World Cup. Because the World Cup is right around the end of the WNBA regular season and before the start of the playoffs, it makes preparing for it a little more difficult.

It was the first Senior Team experience for players such as Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese, who also happen to be the faces of the ongoing CBA negotiations. They've helped drive the uptick in interest for the league, and while everyone wants to be compensated properly, they recognize these young stars are a big reason for why they have that chance.

Dallas Wings star Bueckers was among the many who talked about the ongoing CBA negotiations to Rachel Axon of Sports Business Journal.

“It’s just learning more, asking more questions, understanding the two sides of the negotiation and how we have to come to terms with it and find a middle ground in what both sides want,” Bueckers said. “We are to stand firm in what we believe we have earned, and the people before us have earned, so it’s continued negotiations, but we’re being firm on what we believe in and what we stand for.”

Jul 19, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Collier guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on before the 2025 WNBA All Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Bueckers was among the All-Stars this year who wore a "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirt in pre-game warmups, which was a bold statement to the rest of the world. She's only in the first year of her rookie contract, but she's arguably the second-most marketable star in the league behind Caitlin Clark, who also commented on the negotiations.

“This is the biggest moment the WNBA has ever seen, and it’s not something that can be messed up,” Clark said. “We’re going to fight for everything that we deserve, but at the same time, we need to play basketball. That’s what our fans crave, and that’s what all of you crave as well. You want the product on the floor. At the end of the day, that’s how you make the money, that’s how you’re marketable, that’s what the fans get excited about, that’s what the fans want to show up for. It’s business. It’s a negotiation, and there has to be compromise on both sides. We’re starting to get down to the wire a little bit.”

The deadline was extended back to January 9th, which is now the second time the two sides have agreed to a temporary extension to the deadline after it was originally supposed to expire on October 31st.

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