JUDGMENT DAY?

The WNBA imposed deadline of March 10 has come and gone, and we don’t quite know where things stand.

After over 12 hours, both Cathy Engelbert and Terri Jackson spoke briefly with reporters camped out outside a NYC hotel to get immediate updates after the final meeting before the deadline. Players, union and league staff arrived around 5pm ET on Tuesday and left at 5am Wednesday morning.

Players reported in attendance were Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Bri Turner, and Alysha Clark.

While talks were classified as “ continuing” and headed in the “right direction”. However, there is no deal to report.

League management and the union will continue negotiations, but seemingly remain stuck on two critical issues: Revenue share and housing. This has also prevented the sides from tackling other issues such as retirement benefits, maternity benefits, etc.

There haven’t been any leaks as to what the latest proposals have been. Is that a sign that things are moving in the right direction?

One can only hope.

Even if an agreement is miraculously reached, it doesn’t guarantee the league will be able to operate under their new paradigm immediately. Madeline Kenney of the New York Post reports that it would take lawyers around three weeks to ratify a formal contract.

As negotiations drag on, the eyes of Congress are on the WNBA.

“We are also aware of recent reports suggesting that the league may be trying to divide players during these negotiations,” the Democratic Women’s Caucus wrote in a letter to Cathy Engelbert.

“If accurate, such actions could raise concerns under the NLRA, which protects workers’ rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining free from employer interference.”

It’s been a complicate, frustrating road to this point. In a special video on Black Rosie Media, Erica L. Ayala conducted an interview with Professor David Berri!

Erica and Dr. Berri discussed the current CBA talks, the history of sports labor organizing, the NBA’s fuzzy math, and plenty more essential topics.

The WNBA and WNBPA have a lot to figure out. League business remains on hold and new players entering via the Draft are joining a league in uncertainty.

At this point, everyone has to put their best proposals forward so business can resume. There's no more time to waste.

DANCING TO THE TOURNAMENT!

Here’s the latest in the AP’s Top 25 rankings:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17

THE DYNASTY RETURNS

USA Women’s Basketball is the most successful and dominant sports team in the world. They haven’t lost a game in the Olympics since 1992 and haven’t lost a game in the World Cup since September 2006.

As the game of basketball has grown over the decades, USA Basketball has been the one constant across generations. And this week, the team returns with some new faces in search of a familiar goal.

The squad is in Puerto Rico for the World Cup Qualifying Tournament beginning on March 11. Although the US is guaranteed to appear in the World Cup this September, these games are a great chance for the players to develop chemistry with one another and make their debuts on the international stage.

FIBA Qualifiers are happening in Puerto Rico, China, and Türkiye. To learn more about the FIBA Women’s Basketball Qualifiers, check out this article at Black Rosie Media.

In this cycle, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Kiki Iriafen will be making their first appearances for the senior national team. For Clark in particular, the Qualifying Tournament represents a long overdue return to the court after a taxing 2025.

Clark only appeared in 13 games for the Indiana Fever in 2025 as a series of injuries and setbacks kept her out of action. She’s been working hard to get back to full strength, and there’s no time better than the present to test yourself and see how you are against some of the world’s greatest players.

"I feel like I've put myself in the best possible shape I could be in at this point," Clark told reporters on March 9. "The first game is the hardest, but once you get in kind of a flow of things, you figure things out."

Team USA’s journey begins with a game against Puerto Rico.

This tournament helps new players get acclimated with USA Basketball and gives an early idea as to who might make the World Cup team.

With a limitless talent pipeline, hard roster choices will have to be made. It's an exciting opportunity and a great showcase on the global stage.

NEW WAYS TO WATCH

Here at the Women’s Basketball Roundup, we’ve discussed the ability to watch games. If you can’t get the games on channels everyone has access to, it makes watching very difficult.

The WNBA has worked to address this problem over the years, and as Team USA begins its’ World Cup journey, one of the biggest sports networks in the United States will showcase their journey.

On March 5, TNT Sports announced that it had entered into a multiyear agreement with FIBA to broadcast the men’s and women’s World Cup along with the 2029 FIBA Eurobasket. It’s a move that’s long overdue and one that will help basketball fans now and in the future.

“I think making this more accessible to our fans and to the younger generation,” Caitlin Clark said on March 7, “whether young girls or young boys that want to watch basketball or enjoy basketball [is a good thing]. There's people that are really craving this product right now, so that makes me super excited. I think that adds a fun element and I think people will certainly be tuning in.”

FIBA Qualifiers are happening in Puerto Rico, China, and Türkiye. To learn more about the FIBA Women’s Basketball Qualifiers, check out this article at Black Rosie Media.

For the U.S., the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from March 11-17. The U.S. will open qualifiers against Senegal today at 4:45 pm ET on truTV and HBO Max.

When you make a good product accessible, people will tune in. For USA Basketball, this arrangement will introduce new people to the game during non Olympic years.

As women's basketball continues to grow, platforms like TNT will help create new stars as we head into a new era.

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

Here’s what we’re reading:

If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider subscribing to receive the latest updates from Black Rosie Media directly in your inbox—it's completely FREE! Feel free to share this with a friend so they can also stay informed.

Join our Black Rosie Media Slack Channel to interact directly with our contributors, participate in game-day chats, and much more!

You can also connect with us on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube!