Jul 19, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Collier forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks on before the 2025 WNBA All Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Napheesa Collier Explains 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' Message Amid WNBA CBA Negotiations

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 8:02 PM ET

The WNBA is in the midst of perhaps the most pivotal point in the league's history right now, as the players and the league office are embroiled in negotiations for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) because the current CBA expires at the end of this 2025 season.

The players have made it very clear that increased salaries and increased revenue sharing are top aspects of this new CBA that they're not going to budge on, regardless of what the league wants to do.

And as if any spoken messages about this weren't clear enough, every one of the league's All-Stars stepped onto Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena on July 19 wearing t-shirts that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us".

WNBA all stars wearing a "Pay us what you owe us" shirt in warmups pic.twitter.com/jIj2W6N6kw
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) July 20, 2025

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier (who was named WNBA All-Star Game MVP after scoring an All-Star Game record 36 points in her squad's win over Team Clark) sent a strong message about this when Robin Lundberg of Women's Fastbreak on SI asked her what she meant by, "what you owe us" during a postgame press conference.

"The players are what is building this brand and this league. There is no league without the players," Collier said, per an X post from Lundberg.

"Past, present, the ones coming up, they're the ones that have put in the blood, sweat, and tears for the new money that's coming in. And so we feel like we are owed a piece of that pie that we helped to create. So that's basically what that is," she added.

Napheesa Collier on “Pay Us What You Owe Us” pic.twitter.com/bteC6a6Cdn
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 20, 2025

It will be fascinating to see how these CBA negotiations continue, and what this t-shirt message does in terms of getting the players what they're owed.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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