Open Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- After a prolonged labor battle, the WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association reached a verbal agreement on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement early Wednesday, just 51 days before the league's 30th season is set to tip off. A formal term sheet still needs to be finalized, and the agreement is pending ratification by the players and the WNBA board of governors. "The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters shortly before 3 a.m. Ogwumike told reporters that players will come into the league "and not [have] a sense of lack." The verbal agreement comes 17 months after the players opted out of the previous CBA in October 2024 and five months after the former deal was initially set to expire in October 2025.