NBA commissioner Adam Silver said a WNBA game in China is likely to happen “very soon,” but the league must first address the expiring collective bargaining agreement.
Talking with CNBC during the first of two NBA preseason games in Macao over the weekend, Silver was asked when a WNBA game in the country might take place.
“We have to get through a new collective bargaining agreement with our players,” Silver said. “But once we do, there’s so much interest in women’s basketball here, I think we’d love to bring a WNBA game to Macao or to mainland China.”
The WNBA has held preseason games in countries including Mexico and the United Kingdom, and the league staged its first regular-season game outside of the United States when the Seattle Storm faced the Atlanta Dream in Vancouver on Aug. 15.
While the WNBA has yet to play an official game in Asia, the NBA announced a multi-year partnership with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) that includes the country’s men’s and women’s national teams receiving opportunities to train and compete in the United States. The pact also includes Chinese teams taking part in NBA Summer League and preseason WNBA games.
The NBA is scheduled to play eight more games in Macao over the next four years, and they may be additional games played in mainland China.
“This collaboration is a continuation of our long-term efforts to elevate the game of basketball in China at all levels,” Silver said. “We look forward to strengthening our collective commitment to developing the next generation of NBA and WNBA players from China.”
The WNBA’s current CBA is set to expire Oct. 31, and the sides are reportedly still far apart in negotiations with several players recently criticizing commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Chicago Sky forward Elizabeth Williams, the union’s executive committee secretary, told Sportico in August that, “Initially the end of October was ideal, but that’s probably not going to happen. That’s where we wanted to be, but I don’t think we’ll be ready. … I’m staying cautiously optimistic.”
The league faces a potential work stoppage if a new agreement is not reached.
–Field Level Media
