'Pay them': As WNBA All-Star party wraps up, athlete pay comes into focus

INDIANAPOLIS :WNBA players wrested the spotlight of the All-Star weekend to get the fans on their side amid intensifying labor talks with the league, as the annual showcase of the sport's top talent celebrated an influx of new fans.

Players took the court in Indianapolis wearing shirts that read "Pay Us What You Owe Us," after a meeting to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on Thursday that union members said was a missed opportunity.

Fans got the message, chanting "Pay them!" as Commissioner Cathy Engelbert appeared on the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after the final buzzer.

"To have the fans backing us - I think it means everything," said Napheesa Collier, the All-Star Game MVP.

It set the tone for the coming months, with the current CBA set to expire on October 31, after a two-day celebration of a league on the rise.

Advertisements featuring the WNBA's top players blanketed the city center and jersey-wearing fans poured into town, signaling a new era for the league with national viewership up 23 per cent year-over-year for the first half of the season.

The only dent to the enthusiasm appeared to be the absence of Indiana Fever sharpshooter Caitlin Clark, who was expected to be the biggest attraction at the annual showcase in her home market but had to sit out the game injured.

But behind the scenes, players voiced frustration over what they felt was poor progress in their labor negotiations with the league, after opting out of their current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) early.

The Women's National Basketball Players Association issued a stern statement after the two sides met in Indianapolis on Thursday.

A day later, players fumed over the meeting that union President Nneka Ogwumike called a "missed