A 'Life-Changing' Deal: Alysha Clark and Lexie Brown on New WNBA CBA
WNBA veteran Alysha Clark has seen three Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations during her 13 years in the league. In two cases, the agreements left the majority of players unsatisfied.
When the inevitability of a new round of negotiations came, paired with the opportunity to join the WNBPA executive committee, she jumped at the chance to directly impact the league and be part of the reform it needed.
“It was very intentional when I ran to be on the executive committee,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that the voice of the majority of the players–the heartbeat of the league–had a voice at the table.”
Clark, who serves as WNBPA Vice President, was with a large group of her WNBA peers while competing in Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball Season 5 during a key stretch of negotiations. Her WNBPA duties called her to New York midseason to take part in negotiations, where she joined fellow executive committee members, including Brianna Turner, Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier, further fueled by conversations she had with players in AU.
“Our conversations here in Nashville were really important … having them being like, no, stand strong on these key points, like housing, revenue share–that gave us a little bit of a boost.”
The gap between the two sides was significant, with negotiations stretching into a 12-hour overnight session and over 100 hours of meetings before a final agreement was reached.
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“From the very beginning, we were kind of far apart … up until almost the 11th hour,” Clark explained. “Sometimes I was standing there with just a couple other people … [saying] no, this is an area we cannot move on because it’s going to affect too many people.”
The result is a new CBA that delivers major changes across the board. The salary cap is set to jump significantly, along with increases to minimum and average salaries, marking one of the biggest financial shifts in league history. The deal also introduces revenue sharing tied to league growth, allowing players to directly benefit as the business expands.
One of Clark’s AU teammates, ninth-year guard Lexie Brown, had no official role in the negotiations but remained very plugged in throughout the process.
She was also one of just two players under contract before the new agreement was reached. Her decision to sign before the agreement was tied to one of the players’ most pressing needs–stability.
In Brown’s case, that need was tied to healthcare as she continued managing her Crohn’s disease.
“I just knew that I had a lot of health stuff that I would have to be dealing with,” she said. “As long as I had any type of contract, I knew that at least my health care was going to be taken care of.”
The new CBA outlines changes to housing, family planning, and player benefits. Those improvements aim to address long-standing gaps for players across the league.
It also help protect veterans from being phased out as salaries rise, while giving younger players more stability earlier in their careers. With more financial security built into contracts, the deal is expected to reduce constant roster turnover and create more long-term stability across the league.
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Brown, who serves as chairperson of Athletes Unlimited’s Basketball Player Executive Committee, has spent the past four years helping shape a player-first culture. She believes that added stability in the WNBA will directly impact on-court performance and locker room culture, and can already see the positive impact of recent conversations.
“To see all of us really stand on business and have this open communication amongst each other that I hadn’t seen before–it was such a beautiful thing for me.”
One of Brown’s biggest concerns was protecting young talent entering the league.
“The most important thing for me is also the rookies,” she said. “You go from being one of the best players in the country to a league full of former best players … And on top of that, you have to worry about if you’re going to make the team or not … When you come in and you’re able to keep the confidence that you entered with, I think that’s such a big, important part about starting your career.”
For her role in the WNBPA, Clark feels pride in what she and the group were able to accomplish.
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“Honestly, a roller coaster would be an accurate term, but I’m just extremely proud of the work that we did as the executive committee,” she said. “I’m really, really proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
The long-awaited new agreement now sets the foundation for the next generation of players, while reshaping the professional standard.
“It’s life-changing for players. It lays the standard,” she said. “It’s not just lip service anymore … These players are going to be able to walk into this league from day one, being and feeling like they are professionals and being treated as such.”
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
