Alexa Philippou
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Alexa Philippou
ESPN
- Covers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
Don Van Natta Jr.
CloseDon Van Natta Jr.
ESPN Senior Writer
- Host and co-executive producer of the new ESPN series, “Backstory”
- Member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national, explanatory and public service journalism
- Author of three books, including New York Times best-selling “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush”
- 24-year newspaper career at The New York Times and Miami Herald
Multiple Authors
WNBPA executive committee members Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart wrote a three-page letter Monday to players’ union executive director Terri Jackson expressing “serious concerns about how the PA is handling the current negotiations” for a new collective bargaining agreement, “including the lack of adequate player involvement in the process.”
In the private communication with Jackson, which was obtained Tuesday by ESPN, Plum — the first vice president of the union — and Stewart — a vice president — requested “a changed dynamic between our PA administrators and the players” and said “we do not feel like we have an adequate seat at the table in these negotiations.”
The union called an all-player meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the letter, among other matters. The union declined to comment when reached by ESPN.
The letter was shared by Jackson with the executive committee earlier Tuesday, sources said. It is unclear whether the rest of the seven-player executive committee agrees with Plum and Stewart’s sentiments on WNBPA leadership, or whether they were informed before the letter was sent. Sources have indicated that some members are content with the union’s handling of negotiations.
The letter was sent nearly a week before the March 10 date the league gave the WNBPA last month to try to complete a term sheet for a new CBA. The 2026 regular season is scheduled to tip May 8, but before then the league must hold a college draft (currently scheduled for April 13), a two-team expansion draft and free agency for more than 100 players.
The letter starts with Plum and Stewart expressing “immense gratitude” for Jackson’s leadership of the Players Association over the past decade and the results she has garnered in that span, adding they believe she wants what’s best for players.
“But we are frustrated that we have not made more progress as we near the March 10 deadline,” Stewart and Plum continue, “and we believe this is a result of a breakdown in communication between you and the Executive Committee and players more broadly.”
The WNBPA opted out of the previous CBA nearly 17 months ago, in October 2024, with negotiations ramping up over the past eight months especially.
But Stewart and Plum say they have been “privy to details of these negotiations for less than two months, having first seen a proposal in January,” and that they’ve “repeatedly” asked for information from PA staff but have yet to receive it.
“Despite a year and a half of negotiations, we have not been meaningfully engaged,” the letter said.
The examples of requested information include: a detailed breakdown of the WNBA’s expenses and revenue “to the best of our understanding”; a comparative analysis between potential losses players would face in a delayed or strike-shortened season versus the potential gains achieved in a new CBA earned through continued negotiations; aggregate results of a PA survey sent in recent days polling players on their thoughts toward the league’s latest proposal; a clear description of how rookie salaries will be structured and how they scale over the course of a rookie contract; information on distributions from OneTeam Partners; and a clear articulation of the EC’s roles and responsibilities.
“As we understand it, the Executive Committee’s role is to help shape the overall goals and priorities of the CBA and to serve as a bridge between your negotiating team and the broader membership — ultimately helping to secure player approval of any deal,” they wrote. “Without access to the information requested above, the Executive Committee cannot fulfill this role, and players cannot be expected to engage meaningfully in a process they have largely been excluded from.”
Stewart and Plum requested a meeting of the executive committee within 24 hours to discuss the requested information, which turned into the all-player meeting.
The two additionally expressed frustrations with how their concerns have been received by the PA.
“When we and other players have attempted to express concerns about negotiations, we have been made to feel as though we are acting against the interests of the PA,” the letter said. “Many other players across the league feel these same frustrations and have expressed them to us, but feel afraid or unable to speak out.”
Plum and Stewart said this dynamic between PA administrators and players “has begun to create unnecessary divisions at a time in which a united front and informed player body are essential to achieve maximum leverage.”
ESPN previously reported there has been a strong debate within the executive committee in recent months over how to proceed in negotiations, with a split over willingness to hold out or to take a deal more in line with the league’s latest proposal. In a player call last week, a source told ESPN over half of player leadership reaffirmed their desire to keep a strike on the table. The WNBPA player body authorized the executive committee in December to call a strike “when necessary.”
Last week, ESPN reported that players will receive revenue sharing payments for the first time in league history, and that the union will also divvy up an addition $9.25 million to players from licensing revenue generated since 2020 from jersey sales, trading cards, video games and other merchandise.
“When we and other players have attempted to express concerns about negotiations, we have been made to feel as though we are acting against the interests of the PA. Many other players across the league feel these same frustrations and have expressed them to us, but feel afraid or unable to speak out.”
excerpt of letter sent by WNBPA executive committee members Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart to executive director Terri Jackson
On Monday, prior to the Unrivaled semifinals, Plum told reporters that while the players’ union should continue to negotiate a new CBA, she believes the offer the WNBPA has received from the WNBA so far reflects a “significant win” with its revenue sharing component and that “a strike would be the worst thing for both sides.” Stewart later said she agreed with her.
The two echoed those beliefs in the letter, saying they are “concerned about the impact that a standoff or work stoppage would have on the overall financial health of the league” and believe it is time to begin negotiating off the league’s proposals when it comes to revenue sharing.
Both players were clear in Monday’s media availability that more negotiation must be done — the players said in the letter they’d like to see the league “examine its expenses and identify meaningful ways to reduce the amount that those expenses are carried by players at both the team and especially league level.”
Other priorities they list include agreeing to a cap “that in expanding with revenue, allows for sustainable roster construction where max players do not have to take cuts to ensure a robust middle class,” a guaranteed housing model for all players, the abolition of the core rule and meaningful benefits for retired players.
“We need to start being pragmatic in these negotiations and in how decisions are being made,” the letter said.
Last week, nearly a dozen player agents sent a letter to Jackson expressing “our collective preference for transparency and coordinated communication” moving forward in negotiations and for the ability to review the league’s current proposal.
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