Caitlin Clark Wants WNBA Standoff with Players to End as Strike Threatens to Derail 2026 Season: “Iron It Out and Shake Hands”

Caitlin Clark and her peers are still waiting for their union and the WNBA to agree to a deal soon before the 2026 season gets affected.

Caitlin Clark Wants WNBA Standoff with Players to End as Strike Threatens to Derail 2026 Season: “Iron It Out and Shake Hands”

Caitlin Clark wants CBA done soon (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Caitlin Clark emphasizes the need for resolution in WNBA CBA negotiations to avoid impacting the 2026 season.
  • She is preparing for her senior debut with USA Basketball while managing injuries from her WNBA season.
  • Clark's performance and interactions at Team USA camp show her growing rapport with veteran players like Kelsey Plum.

When Caitlin Clark ended her second season in the WNBA in disappointing fashion, she made it clear that she had her eyes set on the 2026 season, where the Indiana Fever star hopes she will show the progress she made in her game.

Those soft-tissue injuries hampered her chances of being a part of her team’s surprising run to the WNBA semifinals, and many of her fans were left wondering what would have happened if the dynamic point guard had been running the attack.

Despite that, her commitment did not waver, and she worked with the team’s medical staff and trainers to be prepared both for the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers and her third season in the WNBA.

Her senior team debut for USA Basketball is on course to happen, but her desire to excel in the league that will pay her a paltry $85K salary this season might have to wait until the next CBA is signed.

I don’t understand why we don’t just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands. That’s how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides. For me, that’s what I would love to see.

Caitlin Clark said

This was the 24-year-old’s response when Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile asked her opinion about the progress made on the CBA negotiations.

It seems Caitlin Clark clearly does not want the recent skirmishes to impact the 2026 season, and hopes both the league and the players’ union hash it out as soon as they can.

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum throw jabs at each other at Team USA camp

Since Caitlin Clark cannot do much but wait for the union and the league to come to an agreement, she is busy preparing for what she can control, and that is to perform well in her Team USA senior debut.

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum at Team USA practice
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum at Team USA practice (Image via USA Basketball/X)

Since her Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston, will not be around, the point guard will have to quickly learn the tendencies of her new teammates, none of whom she has ever played competitive basketball with before.

But some of her national teammates are also close friends. Be it Paige Bueckers, veteran guard Kelsey Plum, or even camp trainee Breanna Stewart, the young guard has some people to talk to until she gets comfortable with the rest.

A video surfaced on USA Basketball’s official social media page showing Plum, Clark, and Bueckers going through movement drills. When the ball reaches the Fever guard, she launches a shot, at which point Plum calls her ‘selfish.’

Naturally, it was the Sparks star trolling the player who took over from her as the NCAA’s All-Time leading scorer. But then, Clark chirped back, suggesting the veteran had food poisoning, and she was just helping her rest mid practice.

In another section, when the two-time champion continues to label Clark as ‘selfish,’ the Fever guard reminds Plum that she barely could catch her passes. It seems eventually, the two-time All-Star should gel well with such veterans, helping her get comfortable.

Point God was impressed with Caitlin Clark’s move

Kelsey Plum might have always had a good opinion about Caitlin Clark, but in the WNBA were rumored to believe that the Iowa Hawkeyes alum did not deserve the praise before proving her worth in the professional league.

Fast forward to now, and not only have those thoughts been dispelled, but veteran players are also warming up to the idea that the point guard might be one of the better players in the league.

Then there are the players Clark looks up to, and one of them, Las Vegas Aces point guard Chelsea Gray, had this reaction when going through a set play drill together.

Hey, side dribble!

Chelsea Gray remarked

The ‘point god,’ as the oldest member of this USA Basketball team is known affectionately, was impressed with Caitlin Clark’s side dribble to create space and score under the basket, not a move that many guards are at ease with.

Also Read: