The Seattle Storm handed the New York Liberty their third loss of the season behind Nneka Ogwumike’s dominant performance. However, her most impactful moment may have been her update on the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) discussions in her post-game interview.
Ogwumike addressed the media as the Storm’s star forward and as the WNBPA president after the win on June 22. After Seattle’s 89-79 win over New York, she opened up about the CBA negotiations.
“I’m asked these questions all the time, so I kind of feel like I talk about it often, but it is important for people to know that, um, our salaries are the only thing capped when it comes to us negotiating the CBA,” said Ogwumike.
Weathering the Storm
Ogwumike was elected as the Players’ Association president in 2016. In 2019, she was re-elected to a new three-year term as the president. She is now sitting on her third term as president.
The Seattle forward continued to expound upon the importance of the current negotiations after the June 22 win.
“We have women out here who know the business, you know, and we understand where our league has been and where it’s going,” said Ogwumike.
“We’re prepared you know, we’re prepared. We want to be able to come out here and represent ourselves and our value um the same way we do on the court. Um in our contracts in our facilities and the standards of the resources that are available to us.”
Ogwumike helped bring in the current CBA which was signed in 2020. She helped the league and players update opt-out options, prioritizations, revenue sharing, and maternity benefits.
New Demands
After the 2024 season, the league reached new heights in viewership and merchandise sales. Even though salaries increased after the recent CBA, players are demanding more.
“It’s important for people to understand that we get what’s going on um but we also value who we are,” said Ogwumike.
“So we’re at the negotiating table now, we just got a response back from the league, um so that is good.”
“We want things to work, everybody wants to go to the same place everyone just has a different idea of how we get there. Um, but it definitely starts with valuing the players in a way that uh makes sense.”
“We’ve seen a lot of growth recently and so we have to see that being reflected in how we’re compensated to continue to give you games like this every night.”
Clearing the Storm
Seattle captured its ninth win of the season and is fifth in league standings. Nonetheless, the season hasn’t hit the halfway mark as of yet.
Although the Liberty are in second place with a 10-3 record, the Phoenix Mercury is closing in on the top two teams. The Storm struggled last season with their big three that has been reduced to a dangerous duo.
This season has been different for Seattle who look to make a deep run in the postseason.
Ogwumike finished June 22 with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 70% from the floor.
Skylar Diggins-Smith (20) and Gabby Williams (12) both chipped in with double-digit scoring. While both teams struggled to shoot from the floor, Seattle took advantage of New York’s 20 turnovers.
Seattle will host the Indiana Fever at home on June 24 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.
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