NEW YORK — Tuesday’s self-imposed deadline to reach a new collective bargaining agreement in hopes of beginning the 2026 WNBA season on time elapsed despite a 12-hour negotiating session between the league and WNBPA.

The all-nighter took place at the Langham Hotel in Midtown Manhattan with players Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Alysha Clark and Brianna Turner in attendance, according to reports. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai were also in attendance for the meeting, which reportedly began around 5 p.m. ET Tuesday and ended after 5 a.m. ET Wednesday morning as Engelbert and other league staff exited the building.

“It’s complex,” Engelbert told reporters on the scene after departing the hotel. “We’re working towards a win-win deal like we’ve been saying, a transformational deal for these players that balances all the things we’ve been trying to balance with continued investment by our owners, et cetera. So we’re working hard towards that, and we still have work to do.”

Engelbert also told reporters “We’ve got to get it done soon,” when asked for clarification on a timeline for a new CBA.

The players in attendance didn’t comment following the meeting, but WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told reporters “I would describe the last 10 or 11 hours as a lot of conversation going in the right direction.”

When asked if there were any indications that a deal will be reached in the coming days, she added: “The only thing I’m going to say on that is the conversations are continuing.”

Last month, the league informed the players’ union of the March 10 deadline. At the time, the league said its May 8 start date would be impacted if a deal wasn’t agreed to by that deadline.

Both sides have exchanged proposals since then. The league and union withheld details of the most recent proposals leading up to the latest meeting.

Last week, the league submitted a proposal headlined with an accelerated maximum contract eligibility for star players on rookie contracts and an increase in the Year 1 salary cap to $5.75 million, a source with knowledge of the information confirmed to the New York Daily News.

The league’s cap for the 2025 season was set at $1.5 million.

The union, however, later revealed that 84% of players voted against accepting the league’s offer of 50% net revenue share — a main sticking point throughout negotiations — which the PA stated is less than 15% of gross revenue for the players.

After several critiques by WNBA hoopers in recent seasons regarding revenue share, the league finally decided to split earning with its players — but not at the percentage that satisfies those players.

Settling on a fair model to share the money generated by the growing league is just one of many issues prolonging negotiations.

The union is adamant on league-funded housing — a topic Turner emphasized on social media — being included for all WNBA players.

Better team facilities and increased average player salaries are among other topics being negotiated thoroughly in the process.

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