NBA alum Charles Barkley recently issued a firm warning to today’s WNBA stars as they negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the league. All eyes have been on the WNBA since October 2024, when the WNBPA opted out of the CBA. Since then, it appears that little progress has been made, as the last deadline to reach a deal (March 10, 2026) has already passed. In a recent interview, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said a new deal must be reached by Monday, March 16, or there will be serious consequences for the upcoming season.
Charles Barkley Issues Warning To WNBA Stars Amid CBA Negotiation Struggles
On his podcast, “The Steam Room,” Barkley opened up about the current CBA negotiations.
“Ladies, I want you all to get paid, and I wish you the very best, but y’all gotta be very careful,” he said.
Barkley went on to say that it’s crucial they reach a deal with the WNBA or face a potential lockout.
“When y’all start bad-mouthing the commissioner, you have to remember one thing,” he added. “The commissioner works for the owners. You might not get paid what you’re worth, but you can get paid what you can get.”
Napheesa Collier Slams WNBA Commissioner In September 2025
Barkley’s words come amid the ongoing CBA negotiations and months after WNBA standout Napheesa Collier slammed commissioner Engelbert during a press conference.
“Let me be clear: This conversation is not about winning or losing,” she said, according to The Blast. “It’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings or even missed calls or physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”
Collier said she had previously spoken with Engelbert about the league’s notoriously low pay for its stars and claimed Engelbert had offered a flippant response.
“Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,’” Collier said. “In that same conversation, she told me, ‘Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.’”
Angel Reese Breaks Silence On CBA Negotiations
In addition to Collier, other WNBA players have been vocal about the CBA negotiations, including Chicago Sky star Angel Reese.
“Everybody wants to play but all of us want to play at what we should be compensated for,” she said in March 2026. “So we’re just going to continue to negotiate. Negotiation is not easy. I talk to my team all the time, when I negotiate deals, you go back and forth until you come to a common ground of what we both can go for.”
Reese, one of the league’s most popular stars, went on to say that she’d continue using her voice and platform to advocate for the players.
“I’m just going to continue to be a voice and do whatever I can as a young voice that knows that I do have a platform in this,” she said. “We do all want to play basketball, but at the same time we do want to be compensated for what we deserve.”
Engelbert Says The WNBA Has To ‘Get A Deal Done’
The WNBA previously set a March 10 deadline to reach a deal, but they were unsuccessful. Engelbert, however, remains hopeful, according to USA Today.
“I’ve never been a betting woman in my life, and I’m not going to start now. But we have to get a deal done by Monday,” she said.
Engelbert explained that if the league and its players cannot reach a deal, there will be serious disruptions to its operations.
“We have to get it done without disrupting some part of the fact that we’ve got to run this two-team expansion (draft). We have to get expansion going. (We’ve) got to get free agency going. We gotta get the college draft,” she said.
Disappointing News Surrounding The League
In other WNBA news, Dallas Wings player Arike Ogunbowale was arrested in Miami in early March after an alleged physical altercation with a nightclub employee, according to The Blast.
Reports stated that Ogunbowale allegedly punched a staff member with a closed fist, leading to her arrest. She was charged with misdemeanor battery and was released on a $1,000 bond.
Another report from The Blast stated that Los Angeles Sparks player Rickea Jackson recently encountered a frightening experience. In harrowing court documents, Jackson claimed she was the victim of ongoing “physical” abuse by her NFL ex-boyfriend, James Pearce Jr.
In the documents, Jackson said she was fearful of Pearce Jr., claiming that the Atlanta Falcons player “has threatened to kill me, James has threatened to harm me, James has threatened to injure me, James has threatened to place a bag over my head.”