BONUS: 1x1 with WNBA Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike

0:04We need to separate ourselves from this position of lack. We've been conditioned to believe that we need to be grateful for where we've been or for even just having a league to prevent us from experiencing the dream that we're now currently living. WNBA Players Association President Nneka Agwumake on the rapid growth of the league. We would be in the airport. We would be wearing all of our spark stuff and they would still be like, oh, you guys a college team, you know. And now I could be walking in the airport with no paraphernalia on and be stopped several times. simply because of the accessibility and the visibility that we're now seeing that is a result of the investment that we see in women's sports today.

0:44Finding a better approach to partnerships. If you're looking for a personal care partner and the WNBA has to wear axe, that doesn't make sense. We must differentiate when we see that the growth has feelers that are reaching in different places because of the league that we've become. And how the next generation of players are already making an impact. I learned so much from these younger players. Being able to see these young women coming in with brands, businesses that they know is completely autonomous to them and establishing that in a way that is not just pushing themselves forward, but is pushing the league and women's sports forward.

1:25I'm CNBC producer Katie Kramer. It's Saturday, April 12th, 2025. And a bonus episode of Squawk Pod with WNBA Players Association President Nneka Agwumike is coming up after this.

1:46You're listening to Squawk Pod from CNBC. Today, we are bringing you an exclusive conversation with WNBA first overall pick, MVP, champion, and Players Association president, Nneka Agwumake. She spoke to our Becky Quick at CNBC's Sport Inside the Business of Women's Basketball event in Tampa on April 5th. Here's their conversation. I think everybody here knows that this is a really important, pivotal moment for the WNBA. The players have opted out of the collective bargaining agreement, and they are fighting for transformative change right now. You hear all these numbers, all these statistics about the money that is rolling in, and they want to make sure they get their fair share too.

2:31NECA is leading the way on this. She's in charge of the Players Association. She's calling the shots. You probably know this, but she was the 2016 MVP for the WNBA. She was selected first overall in the draft back in 2012. she led Stanford to four consecutive Final Four appearances. And by the way, while she was doing that, she also got her BA in psychology, and that's probably going to help her a lot in these negotiations. Sinead doesn't like that I have that. I bet nobody does, except for the players. It's going to be priceless when it comes to that. Now, Nneka, you've been at the Final Four, yourself playing in this, and you're here this time around.

3:14I just wonder what you think about the excitement levels that are here, what the buzz is surrounding that, maybe how different it is from when you were there, and how you feel about all that, that shift. I absolutely love it. For a lot of people, the shift might have felt like it was overnight, but it certainly was not. I entered the league when you were lucky if you had what they called a five and five, like a shoe deal, 5K comp, 5K base salary. Oh, my gosh. So that was the extent of any other contract you were going to sign outside of signing a WNBA contract and an overseas contract. And quite frankly, the WNBA contract was kind of like the precursor to make the real money, of course, when you go overseas.

4:01And so to be now in a position and, you know, it's easy to talk about all of the different activations, all of the different partners that are now investing. But as someone who's been in it for so long, I find it so interesting, the commentary in the different spaces. Actually, the same spaces that I've occupied for 14 years now in the league and how that has changed. Whether it's in the airport, whether it's just people in my community asking me like, oh, are you going to Unrivaled? Are you in Miami? Yeah. People know that there's something happening down there. I'm in the airport, and it's actually quite interesting.

4:40I was talking to Shanae about this. We could have been walking in the airport. I spent many years playing with Elena Beard. She's a vet that I always advocate for because she taught me how to do what I'm doing right now. We would be in the airport. We would be wearing all of our Spark stuff, and they would still be like, oh, are you guys a college team? And now I could be walking in the airport with no paraphernalia on and be stopped several times. simply because of the accessibility and the visibility that we're now seeing that is a result of the investment that we see in women's sports today.

5:14So my personal experience is incredibly indicative of the growth, and I'm very happy about that. You talk about that growth and how much things have changed, and then you've got the WNBA just signing this groundbreaking TV deal, $2.2 billion. What are the players going to get out of that? that's a great question I know what we're advocating for a lot that's what we're advocating for most certainly um no it's amazing to be able to see um numbers that big you know we've been dealing we haven't been dealing with B's yeah we've been dealing with M's and um that takes time you know I I oftentimes you know a lot of times when I was asked about perhaps the salary conversation and those who didn't want to do enough research would say oh you're asking for the same as the men I'm like okay well one no we're trying to reinvent the salary structure first of all especially in this current negotiation but then two you know we are we're out here understanding what our value is even before it showed itself you know publicly We are professional athletes.

6:30We are coming out here playing at the highest level, and that needs to be reflective in our salary, our compensation, and the resources that are necessary for us to do what we need to do so that people love coming and watching us play. I mean, the argument in the past has always been that the revenue from the media rights was so much greater in the NBA than the WNBA. It's still greater, but when you're talking a$2.2 billion deal, that is a game changer. How do you break that down? How do you tie it to it? Well, I mean, quite frankly, Cheney and I talk about this all the time. I think that it is time that we have realized, but that we sustain, that although we've had amazing support and foundation from our brethren on the NBA side, the Devon B is a different league.

7:20It's a different league. We have different fans. We play differently. We're still playing basketball, but everything about who we are is our own identity. So we have to make sure that we focus on that when it comes to the investment. Okay, so for people who don't realize it, most people in this room probably do, but 42 % of the ownership of the WNBA is the NBA. Another 42 % goes to the teams within the league. And I guess my question is, is that a stifling thing? Also with the fact that you have all these partnership deals that have to be co-branded between the WNBA and the NBA. How does that stifle things?

8:00Well, I mean, you know, if you're looking for a personal care partner and the WNBA has to wear Axe, that doesn't make sense. You know, we have feminine care. There's just, as human beings, we're different. And because of that, we've created the beauty that is the difference between these two different leagues. And granted, we were able to attain a huge TV deal because of the foundation. Right. Right? Right. So we have to acknowledge that. But we must differentiate when we see that the growth has feelers that are reaching in different places because of the league that we've become. And I also really strongly believe that a lot of the intentional partnership that we have now has a lot to do with our natural existence as women in this world.

8:55You know, we we are born into the resistance. This world was not created for us. So we have to maintain and create spaces for ourselves. The WNBA is just that. And we saw that hugely in 2016 when we first came out and we had media blackout due to the violence that we were seeing in our black communities in markets that WNBA teams are in. And players said, hey, no, you know, this is bigger. This is way bigger than what we're doing on the court. But we also acknowledge, as we did in 2020, that our platform is the reason why we can come out and use our voice. It works in Parapasue, and I think that it's important for us to realize that we can't cancel one out.

9:36It's the chicken and the egg, but right now everybody's eating, and we have to remember exactly where we came from and where we want to go, but also our evolution in the process. Okay, you mentioned yourself that when you're walking through airports, people ask you if you're going to Unrivaled. You didn't, and there were a lot of people who were surprised you weren't playing. I didn't play, but I was at the game. Okay, but you weren't playing in the league, and I guess why? So for me, I have a very unique kind of off-season, and a lot of my responsibilities kind of tie me to my role as president.

10:12Okay. And I saw it as a very viable opportunity. But I felt at this time, especially with the CBA, I just wanted to be as accessible as possible as we enter what could be one of the most historical negotiations. What do you think unrivaled the experience the players have had there, some of the amenities that they were offered? What did that do to maybe change things for the perspective of the players having gone and played that and now coming back and getting ready for this bargaining agreement? Oh, I mean, I can tell you right now that some players are going to say, we're in negotiation. What I had down there, I don't have over here.

10:53Like what? I mean, for example, you know, just being able to train properly in, you know, a strength training facility. I was with an organization that had trouble finding a home. And so I know what that feels like. I'm now with the storm and that's we are not lacking on that front. And one thing that I try to impart upon players is don't be made to feel grateful for that. this is what you need to do your job you know when I was in free agency last year it was very difficult for me to not necessarily pick another team to go to but I had subscribed wholly to the iconic nature of playing in purple and gold for the Sparks in Championship City you know and a lot of my battle was not just okay I need to make the decision to decide if I'm coming back to LA or not.

11:50That was the first decision. But then when I was visiting different markets and I saw the resources that they had, I had to deprogram myself from thinking that I was being material in wanting to go and play somewhere that had the resources. That is not where we need to be operating from. I can't just be thinking, oh, Nekka, you're vapid for thinking, oh, you just want a nice locker room. No, we need, we deserve, we need, we have to have them to play 44 games and compete for a championship. So I try my best to impart that upon a lot of my constituents because we need to, we need to separate ourselves from this position of lack.

12:33We've been conditioned to believe that we need to be grateful for where, where we've been or for even just having a league to prevent us from experiencing the dream that we're now currently living. So when you talk about transformative change. How do you describe that? What do you put together with that? What's the list? Not just salaries and having proper training facilities. What's that look like all the way down? Oh. Even heating pads on the tables that you walk in on. Yeah. It was so cute. I have a rookie that I play with. I played with her in LA and now she's in our training camp, Zaya Cook, and she was like, oh my gosh, we have a parking lot.

13:14And I was like, it's so small and simple, but to be honest, I thought the same thing when I came to Seattle. And being able to have those personal experiences with different players that just talk about their experiences, even compare, you know, oh, no, mine is nicer than yours. Having those types of things and not having to try and manage a lot of the ways that these players really try to rub things together and make it something. I think that that is where we really see transformational change. We can talk a lot about salary and all these different things that we're negotiating. But quite frankly, for me personally, I never thought that I would be on a charter flight.

14:02Never. And you are. I am. I was ready to be the bitter vet. I was completely okay with like, yeah, I never had that, you know? I was fine because we don't do it thinking that we're doing it for ourselves. But I think the balance is understanding that advocating for and with each other today collectively can get stuff done. Not just get it done, but get it done today. We've had a lot of people here talk today about storytelling and how important that is and building your own brands. What's that like as somebody who's been a veteran for a while? And do you think the younger women coming in get that, too?

14:46They probably know more than me. Honestly, it's an excellent question. It wasn't something that was encouraged for us to think about. You know, you're an athlete. You play sports. I've had people tell me early on, what are you going to do besides play sports? This is what pays you. You know, and I felt I just I was playing overseas and I just felt like there has to be more that this offers. There has to be more doors that not just I can walk through, but I can leave open, you know. And I mean, it's just I am so grateful to be one 14 years in and capable and able to be able to play at a high level.

15:27But then also to be experiencing this reality, this vision that we've all had in real time, I learned so much from these younger players. That's something that I've really tried to lean into is understanding that my teachers are everywhere, whether it's my teammates or my competitors. being able to see these young women coming in with brands, businesses that they know is completely autonomous to them and establishing that in a way that is not just pushing themselves forward, but is pushing the league and women's sports forward. Let's talk a little bit about your leadership style, because you're in this position where you are leading things.

16:10You're also the first daughter from a Nigerian family. Yeah. Does anyone know what that means? Okay. All right, cool. I'm also the first granddaughter in my family, so it's like a triple whammy. What does that mean for you? What do you come at this with, especially with your degree in psych? And I'm a cancer sign. Me too. Oh, yes. And I'm a first granddaughter and a first daughter. Okay. So, yeah. I mean, I think, you know, for a long time, I'm like, why is this following me? Why is this leadership thing following me? And quite frankly, it's been something that I've been born into. I have three younger sisters.

16:51Three younger brothers. Are you serious? Bless you. Oh, my gosh. You got me on that one. No, boys are easier than girls. Really? Oh, yeah. Okay. All right. We'll have to talk about that another time. But, yeah, I think naturally I've always kind of had a bit of a maternal instinct. but I haven't always been this vocal. I learned a lot from Stanford and from Tara. I'm someone who kind of leads by example but over time she taught me about the importance of needing to use my voice to lead but then also to express myself because it's important for every voice to be heard. Something that I always say and I said this a lot in 2020 was that you cannot ignore the needs of the majority for the noise of the minority.

17:44And I take that with stride, but I also understand that leading is not just about dictating. It's not just about, and when I say dictate, I mean like literally like talking because we all know the connotation of that in another way. But it's not just about speaking and delegating. It's really about listening. We learned that a lot in 2020, being able to listen to players and people who don't always have the platform to speak their mind because that's how you learn, especially as a leader. Most times when we were negotiating our CB in 2020, I didn't know about concerns until players brought it to me and their personal experience.

18:30I can't speak about being a player with a child. I'm not in that position. And And being able to lead by listening has really been what I do not compromise when it comes to this position. It's a very privileged position as president. But I'm also hoping that my style, perhaps, has made this position something that's desirable. Because, quite frankly, I've run on a post three times. So I'm really hoping that more players become engaged and love it. I think it's because you're so good at what you do. That's why nobody's going to run against you. I want to campaign against someone. That's your competitive nature coming out, Nneka.

19:12Nneka, this has been a pleasure. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

19:22Thank you for listening to this bonus Squawk Pod. If you'd like to hear more in-depth, candid conversations with leaders impacting the world of business from our events, check out the Keynote podcast. Search the Keynote from CNBC wherever you listen to podcasts, and we'll put a link in our show notes as well. Visit CNBCevents.com to learn more about our upcoming events and how you can join us. That's it. We'll meet you right back here on Monday.