The biggest star of the Dallas Wings' thrilling 107-104 season-opening victory over the Indiana Fever wasn't a player—it was the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement.
With less than 10 seconds on the clock, Caitlin Clark—one of four former No. 1 overall picks on the floor—shook free and launched a 30-foot bomb that could have tied the game. It rimmed out. Then, after Paige Bueckers surprisingly missed two free throws, the Fever had one last chance. They used Clark as a decoy to free up Kelsey Mitchell, who was enjoying a 30-point night. Mitchell got a great look at her own deep three, but it too wouldn't fall.
The new-look Wings escaped with a victory in the first WNBA season opener where both teams scored 100-plus points—a fitting start to a historic season.
There's so much to unpack from this instant classic: the Wings' explosive offense under new coach Jose Fernandez, Arike Ogunbowale looking sharp after a difficult 2025, Azzi Fudd's quiet debut off the bench, Jessica Shepard's playmaking, Clark's up-and-down return from an injury-riddled season, and Mitchell picking up right where she left off from her All-WNBA First Team campaign. But as the action unfolded, one big-picture thought kept surfacing: thank goodness they got the CBA done.
Just two months ago, it was unclear whether the 2026 season would start on time—or at all. After more than a year of negotiations, strike authorizations, verbal sparring, leaked documents, and missed deadlines, the league and players were running out of time. Finally, early on March 18, the two sides struck a deal. It required over 100 hours of in-person talks at a luxury hotel in Manhattan and the NBA offices, coming more than a week after the initial deadline had passed.
The seven-year agreement, running through 2032 with an opt-out after 2031, establishes the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in WNBA history. What does that mean for you? More stability, more star power, and more incredible basketball like we saw on opening day. And for fans of the game—and the gear that celebrates it—that's a win worth celebrating.