Drama swirls ahead of Friday's WNBA finals tipoff

Game one of the WNBA finals tips off Friday night in Las Vegas, pitting the No. 4-seeded Phoenix Mercury against the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces for the 2025 women's national basketball championship.

WNBA viewership has skyrocketed in recent years, but with increased popularity comes growing pains. The league players' union is locked in a heated dispute with the WNBA, as they attempt to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Just this week, there have been calls for WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to resign.

Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd takes a deeper look with The Gist's Lauren Tuiskula.