NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its players’ union were back negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement Friday for the fourth straight day, hours after a 16-hour marathon session ended.

The two sides have spent nearly 40 hours discussing a new CBA since first getting together in-person Tuesday — the day the league had said there would need to be at least a handshake agreement for the season to start on time.

Thursday’s long session spent more time focused on other items besides revenue sharing — the biggest sticking point between the two sides — according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

The union leadership left negotiations early Friday morning around 3 a.m. EDT and the league departed soon after. They were back talking again by 11 a.m.

Revenue sharing has been the biggest difference on the two sides.

In the final proposal from Wednesday night, the league increased its salary cap offer for the first year to $6.2 million — up from $5.75 million in previous negotiations, a different person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. That person also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Wednesday that the last proposal from that night was a “real historic and transformational deal” for the players.

“Huge gains and salaries, benefits, everything you’re seeing, but beyond that when you see the whole thing, huge, huge benefits,” she said. “We’re proud of the deal we have on the table. I think it’s, again, huge gains for the players, while again, balancing that with the health of the league.”

Last year, the salary cap for each team was $1.5 million. Average player salaries were $120,000, and that figure stands to increase to $570,000 in the first year and $850,000 by the sixth year, according to one of the people. The maximum salary in the first year would be more than $1.3 million and nearly $2 million by the final year.

The league had said that at least a handshake agreement on a labor deal would need to be done by Tuesday to start the season as scheduled. Union president Nneka Ogwumike said Wednesday night the union never saw the deadline from two days ago as a real thing.

“We haven’t ever really considered that as a timeline that’s been something to prioritize on our side, because we have always been negotiating in good faith,” she said.

When a deal is reached in principle, the league has said it would need a few weeks to finish off the CBA. After that work is done, the expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto would be held sometime between April 1-6, according to a timetable obtained by the AP.

Free agent qualifying offers, including franchise player tags, would be sent out April 7-8. Teams would then have three days to negotiate with the more than 80% of players who are free agents. The signing period would take place from April 12-18.

Training camps would open the next day and the season would be able to start on May 8.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

DRAMMEN, Norway (AP) — Norwegian cross-country skiing star Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo said Friday he sustained a concussion from a fall in a World Cup race a day earlier but that he was “all good in the hood.”

Klaebo, one of the stars of the recent Milan Cortina Games, said he would “take some days off” to recover after his crash involving U.S. skier Ben Ogden during on Thursday.

Klaebo posted a photo of himself giving a thumbs-up from a hospital bed, and he included audio of the Bee Gees disco hit “Stayin’ Alive.”

“Took a fall yesterday and hit my head pretty hard, but luckily everything is all good in the hood,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Ended up with a concussion so I’ll take some days off from both training and the internet just to make sure everything settles properly. Only got one head, so have to take good care of it.”

Klaebo, who last month set a record for most gold medals (six) won at a single Winter Olympics, also thanked “everyone who reached out and checked in.”

Klaebo’s status for the World Cup finals next week in Lake Placid, New York, was unclear.

Thursday’s crash happened in a semifinal heat of the men’s sprint competition in Drammen. Ogden lost his balance and fell across the skis of Klaebo, who fell backward and hit his head on the snow.

Klaebo’s 11 career gold medals is also a Winter Olympics record.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

PHOENIX (AP) — San Francisco Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge was logged at 6-foot-7 “and some change,” he said. That was the measurement for the slugger for the major leagues’ Automated Ball-Strike System.

That is one expansive strike zone — but a more defined one, at least.

“I think they told me I’m the tallest guy they’ve measured, position player-wise,” Eldridge said during spring training. “So I got that going for me, at least. So I’ve got the biggest zone, the biggest ABS.”

After years of testing in the minors, the robot-umpire system for reviewing ball/strike calls is going to be used in regular-season games in the majors this year. The abbreviation for the setup is ABS, but the most important letters when it comes to the change just might be S-I-Z-E — relating to the strike zone for some of the game’s tallest players.

“I got a lot of respect for the umpires and what they do behind the plate,” New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “So I can usually pride myself in not showing them up or putting on a show or doing anything like that because they got a tough job back there. So we’ll see. I’ll find the right time to use it. If they’re pretty outrageous calls, I think I’ll use it.”

The 6-foot-7 Judge, who won his third AL MVP award last year, sounded more excited about the possibilities for 6-5 teammate Giancarlo Stanton.

“His whole career has been kind of getting screwed over. And also now, this kind of changes everything,” Judge said. “He’s so routine oriented to where you get a bad call, you get a good call, whatever, it’s kind of about flushing to get to the next pitch. Well, now you got 2 seconds to try to make up your mind.”

Strike zones vary depending on a player’s height — starting at 53.5% of a batter’s height for the top and 27% of a batter’s height for the bottom. The top and the bottom of the zone for baseball’s biggest giants — a list that also includes 6-7 center fielder Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates and 6-6 left fielder James Wood of the Washington Nationals — have long been two difficult areas for umpires.

But the ABS system provides an opportunity for a closer look.

Each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for video reviews. A team out of challenges for a game tied after nine innings would get one additional challenge in each extra inning.

Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap, and assistance from the dugout is not allowed.

“Specifically with Aaron Judge, I think like his zone I think is higher than most, right? Because he’s taller,” Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly said. “So you might catch one at the knees that feels like a normal strike, but it’s low on him. So I think it’s another aspect of catchers is we’re going to have to understand who’s at the plate, what the zone is like. I mean, if it’s a smaller zone, that ball that might feel like it’s a strike at the top, it’s probably a ball.”

The 21-year-old Eldridge, who got to use ABS in the minors, said he thinks it’s great for the game.

“I had a situation last year where we were in the ninth and we were down by two, I want to say, and I struck out looking,” Eldridge said. “I challenged it. It was a ball, and I hit a home run like the next pitch or something to tie it. The game can change just like that with this, so it’s pretty cool.”

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AP Baseball Writers Ronald Blum and Janie McCauley contributed.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB