WNBA Optimistic About Talks; Zheng Not Drafted

WNBA President Val Ackerman said Tuesday she was “optimistic” an agreement would be reached soon with the league’s players before any games have to be lopped off the league’s third season.

The league is grappling with the WNBA Players Assn. over a minimum salary and the number of ex-ABL players to be brought into the league this summer.

“We’re optimistic we can make a deal,” Ackerman said in a phone interview.

“Everyone understands the importance of keeping our momentum going and how much we all have at stake in this league.”

The union, led by Billy Hunter, has asked for a $45,000 minimum and Ackerman has countered with $20,000. Ackerman also wants to take in roughly 60 ABL players; the union wants a limit of two a team, or 24.

Of the minimum pay issue, Ackerman said:

“Our proposal calls for an increase of 30% in total compensation, or over $50,000 per player. That includes a year-round health/dental plan, maternity leave and a 401k account to be followed by a pension plan in the third year of the agreement.

“We think for a start-up business, that’s a good deal.”

Union negotiators and player agents, however, are adamant about a higher minimum salary.

Agent Bruce Levy calls the $20,000 salary (the minimum last season was $15,000) “what a low-paid secretary makes, or what a school teacher made 20 years ago . . . and they sell the WNBA to the public as having the greatest players in the world.”

Not all shared Ackerman’s optimism the league could make its June 10 start date. Two weeks ago Ackerman set Saturday as a “drop-dead” date, meaning any agreement reached after that would mean the loss of games.

“We’re going to lose games,” a prominent league source said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It’s dumb, stupid . . . but that’s where we are.”

Levy disagreed.

“The league is trying to break the players’ unity and it won’t work,” he said.

“They’ll announce soon they’ve canceled the predraft camp [April 15-17 in Chicago] and blame it on the union. Then when they see how unified the players really are over this, they’ll negotiate very quickly and in good faith.”

A front-office WNBA official agreed the predraft camp would be canceled, but said an agreement should be reached soon thereafter with the players.

“They’ll get this done, I don’t foresee an interruption in training camps or a loss of games,” the official said.

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The Sparks lost Octavia Blue, their second 1998 draft pick, in Tuesday’s WNBA expansion draft. The Minnesota Lynx picked the little-used Blue, a 6-foot-1 forward from Miami, with the fifth pick overall.

The Lynx selected Phoenix’s Brandy Reed with the first pick and the Orlando Miracle chose Andrea Congreaves from Charlotte second.

Los Angeles exposed Chinese center Haixia Zheng in the four-round draft, but she wasn’t selected. Each of the 10 existing WNBA clubs could protect six players.

The college draft, in which ex-ABL players will be included, is April 27.