{"id":148101,"date":"2025-08-15T15:14:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148101\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T15:14:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T15:14:12","slug":"wnba-agents-influx-confronts-league-expansion-cba-negotiations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148101\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Agents Influx Confronts League Expansion, CBA Negotiations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tLast week, Toronto Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers hosted about two dozen WNBA<\/a> agents for a meet-and-greet at a local hotel. It was a chance for the first-time GM to help dealmakers get better acclimated to the Tempo\u2019s operations before the expansion franchise\u2019s inaugural season.<\/p>\n

\n\tWNBA agents got a chance to ask about facilities, connect with front office staff, including team president Teresa Resch, and receive guidance on navigating the city of Toronto. The gathering also included a session on immigration in which the Tempo discussed with agents how to assist clients if they land with the WNBA\u2019s first franchise outside of the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s the latest move by the Tempo aimed at putting agents at ease about one of their players playing on the squad as the club readies for its 2026 debut.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs front offices across the league\u2014especially those from expansion organizations<\/a>\u2014look to strengthen their relationships with agents, the networking also goes in the other direction. There has been an influx of new player representatives eager to build relationships with executives.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) is expecting a notable increase in certification applications over the next year, according to a person familiar with the matter, which supports the steady level of applicants since the last CBA<\/a> was inked back in 2020.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe meet-and-greet frenzy between teams and agents is par the course for a league seeing rapid growth, former WNBA star and active media personality Chiney Ogwumike said in a video interview.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re in our expansion era\u2014literally and figuratively,\u201d Ogwumike said. \u201cThe investment, marketing and interest are hot. We\u2019re in our sweet spot right now. We have everything we need to take off, and we\u2019re witnessing it in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Tempo and Portland Fire will begin their first seasons next year. The league plans to add three additional teams by the end of 2030. The rapid expansion, pushing toward a record 18 clubs<\/a>, coincides with the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations<\/a> that are expected to multiply current player salaries once a new accord is finalized.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe expectation of increased wages, media exposure and a widening player pool has created unparalleled interest for prospective agents to represent players who are becoming more culturally relevant.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m new, but I\u2019m rolling up my sleeves and figuring it out,\u201d Brooke Hogg, an athlete mental health coach recently certified by the WNBPA, said in a video interview. Hogg is among a swath of new agents feeling inspired by the league\u2019s ambitious goals.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt will soon be more challenging for aspiring agents, as the WNBPA plans to heighten certification criteria. This includes potentially adding an exam, according to a source, which would resemble other major sports league associations like in the NBA.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI saw the writing on the wall,\u201d Elite Sports Empowerment CEO Vincent Demps, who helps agents get their WNBA licenses, said in a phone interview. \u201cAnybody with some business savvy sees what direction we\u2019re headed in\u2026 The Caitlin Clarks and Angel Reeses are working their magic 1755270851, and there\u2019s going to be more players to come after them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNew agents enter an increasingly competitive landscape. There are already more than 150 certified agents in the WNBA. Newcomers face uphill battles trying to recruit potential W clients who have long-standing relationships with seasoned agents at well-established agencies.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey\u2019ll also have to understand how to start relationships with potential clients earlier, as agents are being forced to do in the NIL era in college sports. This can be difficult to navigate for even veteran agents who also cut deals in alt-leagues and with overseas teams.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou must have experience, and that experience doesn\u2019t come with your law degree,\u201d WNBA agent Boris Lelchitski said in an interview. \u201cSome are more talented than others, and bring on their own relationships, but I don\u2019t see things changing too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere is some degree of uncertainty for all agents without terms of a fresh CBA in place, an impasse that has led to more than 100 players entering free agency this offseason.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe list of players looking for new contracts this summer includes WNBA stars like Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and A\u2019ja Wilson. Players intentionally signed deals that expire after this season in anticipation for a new accord where they can potentially receive contracts that triple their current salaries.<\/p>\n

\n\tAdd the likelihood of new variables to parse within an expanded CBA document, and this winter could be transformational\u2014if a little stressful\u2014for agents, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last week, Toronto Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers hosted about two dozen WNBA agents for a meet-and-greet…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":148102,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[50148,62,67,132,68,232],"class_list":{"0":"post-148101","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-cba","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us","13":"tag-wnba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115033438024690221","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}