NO DEAL… YET.

We’re back in a familiar situation, but will the game go to another overtime?

January 9 marks the deadline of the most recent extension of CBA talks between the WNBA and WNBPA. There remains a lot of critical issues left to address such as the revenue share, retirement benefits, average salary, etc. With the deadline fast approaching, will there be a last-minute agreement before the buzzer?

No.

As Breanna Stewart noted, the option to strike is certainly there, although they don’t plan to right now. Although an agreement likely won’t be reached before this deadline, there is optimism that an agreement will be reached.

"I do think a deal’s gonna get done,” Napheesa Collier said during Unrivaled Opening Night. “But we’re standing firm in what we believe in. We’re not gonna back down. We can’t take less. The sport has just grown too much. It would be a disservice to the people who came before us, to the work that we’ve put in to take less than what we’re owed."

CBA negotiations have been a frustrating, yet revealing saga. Throughout the process, we’ve seen the league office disrespect and belittle players. It’s been shocking to watch from the outside, and I can only imagine how it feels to be on the receiving end of it. The disrespect hasn’t gone unnoticed, either.

“In terms of where the negotiations are, it's just been very upsetting and disappointing. The tone of the negotiations coming from the league. It's very dismissive, very disrespectful. You know, they've said over and over again that the players don't understand the business, and for them to put a blanket statement like that over players who ... clearly, we do,” Collier told ESPN’s Katie Barnes.

“We are very smart, educated women. We know what we're asking for. We know that it's not too much, like they're saying. So that's been very disappointing to have that be the tone of the conversations when we are in such a transformational era.”

As we wait for signs of progress, the PA has been putting some contingency plans in place.

We’ve got a long way to go before a deal is reached, and we’ll see where the road takes us next.

HOW WILL THE TIGERS RESPOND TO A TOUGHER SCHEDULE?

In the December 6 edition of the WBB Roundup, I wrote:

“Once the calendar turns to 2026, LSU enters conference play, and things will pick up exponentially. In their first five games of the month, they’ll play four ranked opponents, including back-to-back national TV games at home against Texas and on the road against Oklahoma. That stretch will tell us a lot about the Tigers and how far they can go this season.”

We’re here, and so far, it hasn’t gone to LSU’s expectations.

They lost their first two games against ranked opponents last week, and the defeats have exposed something that has LSU coaches and fans concerned.

"We’re not tough enough,” Kim Mulkey said following the loss to Vanderbilt.

“Toughness is either you have it, or you don’t, and we’re not tough enough. And that’s all players in that locker room tonight. You’re not tough enough to make a play when we need it, you’re not tough enough to get that rebound when we need it. It’s not just one or two, it’s the whole locker room at different times.”

Flau’jae Johnson is a bit banged up as she rolled her ankle against Vanderbilt, but she’s playing through it. The Tigers prevented their losing streak from reaching three after beating Georgia 80-59 in Athens on January 8. It was LSU’s first win in SEC conference play this season.

It doesn’t get any easier as they return to Baton Rouge for a showcase showdown against No. 2 Texas on January 11. And next week, they travel to Norman to face No. 5 Oklahoma on January 18.

For LSU, these games are valuable lessons. Even a historic offense can’t afford to be careless and assume that they’ll just figure it out. You can’t afford to lose focus and make bad mistakes against elite competition if you want to reach your goals.

LSU wants to make sure it remains in championship contention. A few more losses would lead to even more questions in Baton Rouge. Fortunately, they’ve got an experienced group that has gone on deep tournament runs before. It’ll be fascinating to see how they bounce back.

THE STAR GUARD IS RECOVERING FROM INJURIES

Towards the end of the WNBA regular season, Sabrina Ionescu suffered a left leg injury after Kamilla Cardoso accidentally fell on her leg at the end of a NY Liberty vs. Chicago Sky game. She wound up missing five games down the stretch as the Liberty fought through an assortment of injuries. Now that we are in the off-season, we won’t be seeing Ionescu return to the court until the Spring time.

On January 8, Unrivaled announced that Ionescu would not be playing in Year 2. When the Unrivaled rosters were initially announced, Ionescu’s absence was noted at the time. We learned that her absence is due to an injury she suffered during the W season.

“While I’m disappointed I couldn’t play this season, I’ll be rooting for the Phantom," Ionescu said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with Unrivaled through content and broadcast opportunities and continuing to support the league's success.”

For Ionescu, not being able to participate in Unrivaled is disappointing, but the rest will certainly do her some good. In Unrivaled year one, she played with a splint following a torn ligament in her right thumb she suffered during the WNBA Finals. This winter gives her a chance to focus on recovery for the upcoming season while also maintaining some presence in Unrivaled.

Ionescu is one of the best and brightest stars in the game. She’s been excellent on the court and a major success off of it. Although she won’t be playing this winter, her presence will still be welcome as Unrivaled looks to have a solid sophomore season.

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