The WNBA and the players union agreed on Oct. 30 to extend the current collective bargaining agreement for 30 days. The new deadline of Nov. 30 is less than a week away and, as far as the reporting has shown, they are no closer to a agreement.
It remains to be seen if the two sides will reach another extension to allow more time for an agreement to be reached without a work stoppage. The WNBA could lock the player out or the player could go on strike.
The WNBA put forth a new salary structure last week. The league’s latest offer includes a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million, available to more than one player per team, in addition to league minimum of more than $220,000 and an average salary of more than $460,000. Those salaries would increase over the length of the CBA at higher rate than previous years.
The WNBPA came back with its answer, saying it does not believe the league’s proposed CBA includes appropriate player salary growth in conjunction with the league’s business over time. This concept, with a salary cap based on basketball-related income and no fixed salaries, like the NBA operates, was among the players’ demands when they opted out of the current CBA in October 2024.
Here’s the latest on the ongoing negotiations:
What do the players want that the league is not offering?
In it’s simplest terms, players want revenue sharing. Instead of having fixed salaries, players want what they earn to be directly tied to a percentage of basketball-related income. Most men’s sports leagues split revenue with players 50-50. But WNBA players, it’s been reported, receive less than 10% of league revenue.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver appeared on ‘Today’ on Oct. 21 and took issue with a question about revenue sharing. Craig Melvin asked if WNBA players should get a larger piece of the revenue pie. “They get nine percent of total revenue compared to roughly 50 percent of the revenue of NBA players. Should they be getting a larger share of revenue in the WNBA?”
“Yes,’ Silver said ‘I think ‘share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA. You should look at it in absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making. They are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining. And they deserve it.”
When the WNBPA opted out of the current CBA in Oct. 2024, WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said players wanted to change the foundation of compensation for 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 about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come.’
What about the increased salaries in the WNBA’s latest offer?
Under the WNBA’s latest proposal, the league’s minimum salary would rise from $66,079 in 2025 to more than $220,000, with an average league salary of more than $460,000. But, Front Office Sports reported the $1.1 million maximum salary figure includes additional money related to potential revenue sharing targets. The real base supermax contract number would be $800,000 or $850,000. ESPN reported that ‘the players’ union does not believe the league’s proposal includes a system where the salary cap and player salaries sufficiently grow with the business.’
Is the WNBA’s popularity really up?
The numbers tell a positive story. Even with many popular players, including the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, sitting out with injuries, the WNBA set a record with 3.15 million fans attending games in 2025. That was up 34% year-over-year, according to the Sports Business Journal. An average of 11,148 fans attended each game, an all-time high for the league. The WNBA also expanded its regular season and playoffs to generate more revenue. ESPN said the WNBA’s regular season and postseason were the league’s most-watched across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, as games averaged 1.2 million viewers. The figure represents 5% growth year-over-year. ESPN also reported it had the most-watched WNBA postseason ever.
The WNBA also has a national media rights package worth $2.2 billion over 11 years going into effect in 2026. The WNBA could sell additional game inventory to increase that number. The TV deals, combined with investment, ratings, ticket and merchandise sales, seem to be a turning point for the league, which turns 30 next season.
Who owns the WNBA?
The NBA’s direct ownership of the WNBA is 42%, WNBA team owners hold another 42% and an external investment group owns the remaining 16%.
The group of private investors, which included Nike, Condoleezza Rice, Laurene Powell Jobs, NBA owners and several prominent athletes, infused $75 million of capital investment into the league for growth in 2022.
The NBA owns an estimated 60% to 75% of the WNBA when you combine NBA team owners who also own WNBA franchises and NBA owners who took part in the capital investment.
Do other leagues like Unrivaled or Project B give players leverage?
Players have competed in other leagues during the offseason since the WNBA began. Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league started by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier last winter, gives players the option to stay in the United States. Project B, which will hold seven two-week tournaments across three continents, will begin overseas after the WNBA’s 2026 season. Both Unrivaled and Project B offer players an equity stake.
Unrivaled’s eight-week season is played in Miami beginning in January. Unrivaled, which paid players more $200,000 for the first season, also offers amenities that might not be seen in all stops in the WNBA.
‘The resources stuck out to me right away, specifically with childcare. And I had never experienced being able to go to the games and drop my kids off. I knew they were going to be safe,’ Skylar Diggins, who plays for the Lunar Owls, told USA TODAY Sports recently.
Project B announced it will tip off in November 2026 and run through April 2027. Four WNBA players including Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones and Jewell Loyd have signed on for four of the league’s 66 roster sports. Front Office Sports reported player deals in the women’s league will reach seven figures and start at $2 million annually.
Both leagues have said they are not positioning themselves as competition to the WNBA, but if the compensation is better, there is nothing keeping players from playing in either league and skipping the W altogether. After all, Diana Taurasi didn’t play the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. They paid her more than her WNBA salary to rest and be healthy for their season.
When does the current WNBA CBA run out?
The CBA, which was signed in January 2020, shortly after Cathy Engelbert took over as WNBA commissioner in 2019, was set to expire in 2027 after eight seasons. The WNBPA, however, exercised its right to opt out of the agreement last October amid unprecedented league growth. The CBA had been set to expire on Oct. 31, 2025 but the two sides extended the deadline by 30 days. It will now be up on Sunday, Nov. 30. Another extension is possible, although after the WNBA draft lottery on Sunday, the league now has to think about the expansion draft, free agency and WNBA draft. Time is of the essence if the league wants to start on time next spring.
Has there ever been a WNBA lockout?
No. But a lockout or strike could result in the 2026 season being delayed or canceled if a new CBA is not signed into effect by May. The WNBA has avoided a work stoppage in its 29-year history, although the 2003 WNBA draft and preseason were postponed before a new CBA was reached.