SEATTLE (AP) — As president of the WNBA’s players union, Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike has been asked time and again about the league’s collective bargaining agreement discussions.
The WNBA is bringing in more money than ever from sponsors and ticket sales, and will bring in much more from its 11-year media rights deal, worth around $200 million per year starting in 2026 — yet player salaries haven’t increased drastically in recent years. In light of other players around the WNBA speaking out, Ogwumike addressed the matter of player salaries following the Storm’s 89-79 win over the New York Liberty on Sunday.
“We have women out here who know the business. And we understand where our league has been and where it’s going,” Ogwumike said. “And, we’re prepared. We’re prepared. And we want to be able to come out here and represent ourselves and our value the same way we do on the court, in our contracts, in our facilities, in the standards of the resources that are available to us.”
Ogwumike said the players union received a response from the league, which she considered a “good” development. In October, WNBA players opted out of their collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA still covers the 2025 season.
The next step from the union's standpoint is for contracts to be more representative of the league’s growth. The current collective bargaining agreement was signed before the 2020 season.
“Everybody wants to go to the same place. Everyone just has a different idea of how we get there,” Ogwumike said. “But it definitely starts with valuing the players in a way that makes sense for what we’re doing out here, and also makes sense for the people that follow us and the fans that are supporting us. We’ve seen a lot of growth recently, so we have to see that being reflected in how we’re compensated to continue to give you guys games like this every night.”
Ogwumike added that she is looking forward to whatever meeting between the WNBPA and the league is to come over the next 25 days. In the past, other players have said they are willing to sit out games if negotiations don’t lead to a pay structure they feel is fair.
Ogwumike is grateful for the support the players union has already received ahead of and amid these negotiations.
“I’m appreciative to our player body, our player reps and the women that are speaking out about this,” Ogwumike said, “and our board of advisors and PA staff and what they’re doing for us to be able to get to a successful, collaborative negotiation with the league.”
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) talks with guard Skylar Diggins (4) as they lead the New York Liberty during the final seconds of the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) drives against New York Liberty guard Marine Johannes (23) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
