Top Legal Minds Set to Deliver Crucial Decision in WNBA's Final Showdown

After 16 months, the CBA negotiations between the WNBA and its players' union are still going. The WNBA set a March 10 deadline for a new term sheet to be signed to avoid delays to the 2026 season. However, the deadline has come and gone, and so has a later preferred deadline of March 16, set by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert .

As of March 17, the WNBA and WNBPA are on day eight of marathon negotiations , tackling items like revenue share and housing. "Progress" and "movement" are words both sides have used to describe the current state of talks, but "big issues remain. " With this in mind, USA TODAY Sports interviewed multiple experts familiar with sports law and labor negotiations to try to understand what might delay a new CBA.

Among the experts is one of the world’s leading antitrust, sports law and trial lawyers, Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn , and American University's N. Jeremi Duru , professor of law, director of sport and society initiative. "I believe that this is, without question, the most substantial labor dispute going on in sports right now," Duru told USA TODAY Sports of the ongoing WNBA CBA negotiations.

Kessler, Duru and several experts within their respective fields tackled common questions that have developed as negotiations continue, providing expert opinion and analysis based on their experiences. Here are five questions answered by the experts about the lingering CBA talks: What are the sticking points that have delayed a new WNBA CBA? Revenue share and housing have been the central items on the negotiation agenda for months, but have received considerable attention since April 14.