Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas on CBA negotiations: 'If a lockout is what it comes to, I think we're prepared for that'
Alyssa Thomas said the players are on the same page about a potential lockout and they understand how important a lockout can be as CBA negotiations continue.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas said Friday WNBA players are prepared for the possibility of a lockout as collective bargaining agreement negotiations continue.
Thomas’ comments came after the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association met in-person in Indianapolis on Thursday. The meeting was attended by more than 40 players and it was the first time the two sides have met in-person since December.
The existing CBA is set to expire on Oct. 31 after the players' union opted out of the current agreement last October. If the league and players don’t reach a new agreement, a lockout or work stoppage would begin.
The current agreement was reached in January 2020, and when comparing negotiations from then to now, Thomas said the players “have a lot of leverage this time around” due to the growth of the league.
The league will begin a new 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC for $200 million per season starting in 2026.
“I think in the past when we’d talk lockout it was hard,” Thomas said. “So many young players not knowing, but I think we have a united front and now people understand more and more how important that can be, so it’s exciting that we’re all on the same page.
“If a lockout is what it comes to, I think we’re prepared for that.”
While Thomas said she was unable to attend Thursday’s meeting, Mercury forward Satou Sabally did attend the meeting.
Sabally was not made available to the media on Friday, as she will not play in Saturday’s All-Star Game due to an ankle injury; however, on July 1 she called the league’s initial counterproposal to the players a “slap in the face.”
The league sent its first counterproposal back to the players in June after players submitted their original proposal to the league back in February.
Natasha Cloud calls potential lockout a ‘forefront’
Former Mercury guard and current New York Liberty player Natasha Cloud also floated the concept of a lockout when meeting with the media on Friday.
“I would say I don’t think any progress was made,” Cloud said about Thursday’s CBA meeting. “The players and our union really just prepared to allow them to see a forefront. A forefront that is not playing. A forefront that understands the worth, the value, and we’re going to continue to push for everything that we’ve earned. The word “earned” is something that needs to be highlighted.
“A lot of times we get told to just continue to take crumbs and be thankful for what we have and that’s just not the case anymore in our league.”
Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams also attended Thursday’s meeting and noted the challenges of negotiating with the league.
“I think the voices were heard because they found a very strategic way to spin everything,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘Oh these might be some politicians as well.’ So you could tell that they heard it even though they were trying to maybe distract us from the real answer.
“It doesn't sound like it's going to be very easy. That's what I got from that.”
Appreciate the content from all-star weekend! Glad to hear the players have a united front and that they are prepared to do might be necessary to get what they deserve. They have the upper hand and we support them!