WNBA CBA negotiations near deadline as league and union disagree on ‘transformational’
It’s been more than three weeks since the WNBA and WNBA players union announced they had agreed to a 30-day extension of the current collective bargaining agreement, meaning we are just over a week away from the new November 30 deadline.
At the beginning of this month I submitted State of optimism That an agreement will be reached. There is a lot of money coming into the league, and enough fortunes to make all parties satisfied enough to reach an agreement that will help keep the league’s massive wave of momentum going.
Earlier this week, the WNBA Latest offer for players It leaked, with headlines that made the proposal look very attractive, with a potential maximum salary of over $1.1 million, a minimum salary of over $220,000, and an average salary of over $460,000. In 2025, the league’s minimum salary is about $66,000 and the maximum salary is about $250,000.
These are staggering numbers, a source told news agency That this was “a very profitable package that provides significant increases compared to previous years and aims to conclude negotiations quickly.”
So, great news, right?
Well, not so fast. These numbers are a bit misleading, because no player will sign a contract with a base salary of more than $1 million, according to Front office sports. Instead, in 2026, the base cap would still be around $850,000, but revenue sharing would likely push the salary cap above the $1 million range. “Do not view the WNBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement proposal as something that moves negotiations forward,” according to the WNBPA. espn.
Ultimately, it appears that the two sides are still operating within different financial frameworks.
Last October, when the WNBPA announced its decision to opt out of the current CBA, which took effect in 2020, WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said players were not simply looking for more money; Rather, they were looking to change the basis of compensation in women’s sports.
“We are ready to lead transformational change – change that goes beyond women’s sports and sets a precedent for something greater.” Ogwumike said. “Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks – it’s also about demanding our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we achieve benefits today’s players and future generations. We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it.”
The following year, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert did just that He often echoed that language. But there does not seem to be agreement on the meaning of the word “transformational.”
The players are seeking a deal that ties salaries directly to a percentage of basketball-related income. Many sports leagues, such as the NBA, split revenue 50-50 with players, but it is estimated that WNBA players receive only less than 10% of league revenue. In the current CBA, players receive fixed salaries that increase by 3% each year and revenue sharing is only triggered if pre-set cumulative goals are met. The current CBA was written before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 season, and because of the way the revenue-sharing goals were calculated, it was never enacted despite the massive increase in revenue the WNBA has seen in the past few years. Players do not want to sign a deal that would leave them behind if business continues to boom.
The current deal on the table from the WNBA appears to include a revenue-sharing component, which is how players who are under the salary cap can earn more than $1.1 million despite signing an $850,000 contract. But ESPN reported, “Sources told ESPN that the players union does not believe the league’s proposal includes a system in which the salary cap and player salaries grow sufficiently with the company.”
In order to reach a new deal, one of two things would need to happen: The WNBA would need to adopt the revenue-sharing framework the WNBPA is proposing or the WNBA would need to boost fixed salary numbers high enough that players would be willing to give up fighting for the revenue-sharing model they dream of.
If none of these things happen, the business will likely stop.
If an agreement is not reached by the new Nov. 30 deadline, the players and league could agree to another extension. If neither happens, that doesn’t automatically mean the lockout goes into effect – the status quo could remain in place, which would allow players to continue accessing team facilities and staff while negotiations continue. But if there is no official extension, the players or the league could trigger a lockout at any time. We hope that a transformative settlement can be reached before that happens.