INDIANAPOLIS — As WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert held a press conference in the depths of Gainbridge Fieldhouse ahead of Saturday night’s All-Star Game, players used their pregame warmups as a chance to send a message. “Pay us what you owe us,” the T-shirts worn by each player read.

The players' union and the league will meet in-person for the second time since starting negotiations for the collective bargaining agreement, a process that has been contentious so far.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is optimistic that the league and players union will come to a new collective bargaining agreement at some point.

Each of the three newest expansion teams joins the league paying a record $250 million expansion fee. The new Golden State expansion team has been an immediate success and is now worth over $500 million, according to Sportico, after paying just a $50 million expansion fee to enter the league. That’s a WNBA-record valuation, and the union knows it.

Before the paid appearances, fashion moments and boozy parties, WNBA players are huddling up for a critical collective bargaining meeting ahead of the All-Star Game in Indianapolis. On Thursday afternoon,

The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire Oct. 31. If the league and players don’t reach a new deal by then, a work stoppage could begin.

The WNBA appears headed toward a labor stoppage after this season as negotiations between the league and the WNBPA have been lagging up to this point.

Former NBA Players Association executive director Tamika Tremaglio has landed with consulting firm Secretariat. Tremaglio, who left the union job in 2023, will lead global sports consultancy for Secretariat,