Erin Lim

The 17 month long negotiations have reportedly ended between the WNBA and the players union. This comes after a March 10 deadline that was set by the league for both sides. The W and the players were under pressure to get a new contract done because of player trade deadlines, a draft, andpre-season training camps. Under the tentative contract seasoned players will be making millions, while new players will be making around three hundred thousand dollars.

This conversation aired in the February 26, 2026 episode of Crosscurrents. KALW’s BOUNCE host Erin Lim speaks to Crosscurrents host Hana Baba about WNBA ongoing contract negotiations between the players and the league owners. Click the button above to listen. Interview Transcript: HANA: So Erin, you hosted and reported the podcast Bounce last year. you were following the Bay Area’s newest women’s basketball team, the Valkyries as they played their first season at the Chase Center.

On October 5, 2023, the WNBA announced an expansion team would be coming to San Francisco. The Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion team in seventeen years. Their entire first season brought a kind of magic that you might only see in the movies. A fandom that excited kids, their parents, the LGBTQ+ community — the entire Bay.