Caitlin Clark Says CBA Talks Are Biggest Moment in WNBA History, Can't Be 'Messed Up'

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said Friday that resolving collective bargaining agreement negotiations in time to play the 2026 season marks "the biggest moment in the history of the WNBA."

The WNBA and WNBA Players' Association currently have until Jan. 9 to agree to a new CBA.

"Thinking about these CBA negotiations, this is the biggest one that the WNBA has ever seen. And it's not something that can be messed up," Clark said Friday during training camp for the USA Basketball Women's National Team (h/t Shelby Swanson of The News & Observer).

Clark continued, "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 the end of the day, that's how you make the money."

The WNBA and WNBPA originally faced an Oct. 31 deadline to negotiate the new deal, which was then extended until the end of November.

A second extension was announced shortly before that second deadline passed without a new contract in place.

"It's business, and it's a negotiation, and there has to be compromise on both sides," Clark said Friday. "And we're starting to get down to the wire of it. And it's become really important."

She continued, "I think there are different things that we can find ways to say, 'No, we certainly deserve that and we're not going to compromise on that,' and then other things that we can probably compromise on.

"But like I said, this is the biggest moment in the history of the WNBA. And I don't want that to be forgotten. It's important that we find a way to play this next season."

According to ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Katie Barnes, the latest proposal by the WNBA included salary increases and revenue sharing changes but cut team housing for players.

That proposal included increasing the minimum player salary from $66,079 last season to over $225,000 in 2026, while bringing the supermax from $249,244 to $1 million, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

According to Philippou and Barnes, however, the debate over housing "has emerged as a flashpoint" in negotiations. Teams have been required to provide housing or cover housing costs for players since the first CBA in 1999, per Philippou and Barnes.

The WNBA is coming off of a 2025 season that drew historically high viewership. The league is looking to capitalize on that growth this spring by expanding to 15 teams for the first time with the additions of the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.