The WNBA had a record year in terms of growth in viewership and attendance, and with that the players now want a bigger piece of the financial pie.

The players union and league have until Nov. 1 to potentially opt out of their current collective bargaining agreement. It is likely that the players will decide to do so before the deadline as they have a list of wants, including increased salaries now that the WNBA has entered a historic 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC for $200 million a year.

Breanna Stewart said there’s been meetings within the players’ union, of which she is a vice president. She hasn’t been able to make as many as she’d like with her team, the New York Liberty, playing in the WNBA Finals right now.

“They’ve been good, a lot of communication, things that we want to be better, the time is coming,” Stewart said. “It’s a hard thing to navigate while the season is still happening. I think that we’re pretty much in a place where we know what we want to do.

“Once we do do it, having the conversation of how much of an uphill battle is this going to be going into the new season.”

If the union does opt out, the current CBA, which was set to expire in 2027, will still be in effect next season so the two sides have a year to come to an agreement.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at her state-of-the-league address before Game 1 of the Finals that she has engaged with union leadership through the year.

“This is going to be an opportunity to listen to one another and take this league to the next level for generations to come,” Engelbert said. “I look forward to building the future of the league and sitting down with the players. Whether they opt out, not opt out.”

Stewart said a few things that the union would like to see in the next CBA include pensions, better child care benefits and increased salaries. Stewart also said she’d love to see teams have the ability to have a million dollar player. Currently the top salary is about $250,000.

NHL

Senators pull off OT stunner to beat Kings >> Josh Norris capped a two-goal effort with the game-winning goal 56 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators beat the Los Angeles Kings 8-7 at home.

Zack MacEwen also had a pair for the Senators, with Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux also chipping in.

Anton Forsberg surrendered three goals on nine shots before being replaced by Mads Sogaard, who was recalled on an emergency basis Monday morning and allowed four goals on 17 shots.

Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere each scored a pair for the Kings, while Trevor Lewis, Adrian Kempe and Tanner Jeannot also scored. Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves.

Tied 6-6 midway through the third, Norris gave the Senators their first lead of the game, but Jeannot tied it up with 5:34 remaining.

The Kings have not lost to the Senators in regulation since Jan. 10, 2019.

Devils 3, Utah 0 >> Jake Allen registered his first shutout with New Jersey and rookie defenseman Seamus Casey scored early in the second period as the home team Devils downed Utah.

Stefan Noesen and Nico Hischier also scored for the Devils, who won for the fourth time in five games. New Jersey missed the playoffs last year.

Utah lost for the first time in four games. They won their home opener over Chicago, then defeated the Islanders and Rangers in overtime to start their current road trip.

Florida 4, Boston 3 >> Sam Reinhart scored on a power play and added a short-handed goal that gave Florida the lead for good in the second period as the defending Stanley Cup champions beat Boston on the road.

Anton Lundell also scored twice and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots for Florida, which has eliminated Boston from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

Mason Lohrei and Johnny Beecher each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, and Mark Kastelic had three assists.

College basketball

Kansas tops AP preseason poll >> Kansas was picked first in the AP Top 25 preseason men’s basketball poll, getting the No. 1 nod on half of the 60 ballots from a national media panel to start the season ahead of Alabama and two-time defending national champion UConn.

Kansas scooped up 30 first-place votes from the AP panel. The Crimson Tide, led by All-American guard Mark Sears and Jarin Stevenson, earned 14 first-place votes and UConn, which is trying to become the first school since John Wooden’s teams at UCLA to win three straight titles, received 11 first-place votes and is third.

Houston earned four first-place votes and is fourth ahead of Iowa State, which returns its top four scorers from a team that was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga received one first-place vote and is the sixth.

Duke, led by consensus No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg, is seventh ahead of Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona in the top 10.

The new-look Big 12, which lost Oklahoma and Texas but welcomed Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado, has three of the top five and five of the top 10 in the preseason AP poll. The SEC leads the way with nine in the Top 25.

NBA

Ball to play for first time in 3 years >> The Chicago Bulls expect point guard Lonzo Ball to play for the first time in nearly three years after being sidelined because of a knee injury when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game on Wednesday.

Coach Billy Donovan said the plan is to have Ball play the final two preseason games. Cleveland visits Friday, before Chicago opens the season at New Orleans on Oct. 23.

Ball was slowed by COVID last month, and the Bulls are trying to figure out how much activity leads to knee soreness. Ball has not played since Jan. 14, 2022. He underwent a cartilage and meniscus transplant in his left knee last year after several procedures failed to fix his injury.

Ball has said he plans to be ready for the season opener. He will be on a minutes restriction and won’t play games on back-to-back days.

College football

Utah’s Rising out indefinitely >> Utah quarterback Cam Rising is out indefinitely with a lower leg injury and coach Kyle Whittingham said true freshman Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, will be the Utes’ starter until further notice.

Rising was injured in Utah’s 27-19 loss to Arizona State on Friday. His leg was bent backward at an awkward angle following a hit on the Utes’ first drive. The seventh-year senior finished out the contest but struggled with his mobility and accuracy. He completed only 43% of his passes and threw three interceptions.

Rising has already missed three games this season after sitting out all last season because of a knee injury.