Napheesa Collier’s Teammate Exposes WNBA’s "Mind-Boggling" CBA Truth as Pay Disparity Takes Center Stage

WNBA superstar Napheesa Collier’s teammates, Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, had an extensive discussion about the ongoing CBA negotiations as they shared some sore points for the players.

Speaking on their Twitch channel, StudBudz, Williams and Hiedeman shared what the pair described as the “mind-boggling” terms the WNBA has presented its players in the new CBA.

“It’s so much that it’s just mind-boggling when you hear about how they’re treating us,” Williams said. “They don’t care about us,” Hiedeman added.

Williams continued, breaking down her interpretation of where the CBA negotiations stand and what the league is willing to pay its players.

“They want to pay themselves first, and then whatever is left, they want us to split with them, which leaves less than 15% for the players,” Williams said.

Natisha Hiedeman added:

“When they grow year-by-year, we’re going to flatline.” “The league basically is saying they want us to stay at less than 15% each year. So if the league grows in 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, we’re going to stay at that less than 15%,” Williams said.

The StudBudz also claimed that the league is willing to pay coaches more than some of its best players.

“They don’t consider the players as expenses, but they consider the coaches [as] expenses,” Williams said. “They still want to pay coaches more than they pay an A’ja Wilson or a Napheesa Collier.”

The pair also mentioned and expressed shock at the league’s proposal to cut budgets for housing and rental cars.

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WNBA grants executive committee permission to call a strike amid CBA negotiations

With the WNBPA and the WNBA still not on the same page in the CBA negotiations, the possibility of a lockout or strike is now quite real. To make matters worse for the league, the WNBPA released a statement on Thursday, announcing that they have authorized their members to call a strike “when necessary.”

“Through a decisive vote with historic participation, our membership has authorized the WNBPA’s Executive Committee to call a strike when necessary. The players’ decision is an unavoidable response to the state of negotiations with the WNBA and its teams.”

In light of the league’s statements, along with Hiedeman and Courtney Williams’ reaction to the ongoing negotiations, the possibility of reaching a new CBA seems slim.

Edited by Sameer Khan