WNBA and Players Reach Historic CBA, Setting New Financial Benchmarks
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have reached a verbal agreement on a groundbreaking new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This landmark deal, finalized early Wednesday morning after over 100 hours of intensive in-person negotiations across eight days, is poised to reshape the league's financial landscape. The agreement includes significant increases in player compensation and a new revenue-sharing model, establishing unprecedented financial benchmarks for women's professional basketball. The WNBA's 30th season remains on schedule to commence on May 8.
"The agreement was finalized early Wednesday morning after over 100 hours of intensive in-person negotiations over eight days."
Agreement Finalization and Ratification
This verbal agreement marks the culmination of 17 months of negotiations, which began after players opted out of the previous CBA, which had expired on January 9. The final discussions on Tuesday were protracted, lasting more than 10 hours and concluding at approximately 2:20 a.m. Wednesday.
While a verbal agreement is in place, it requires formalization into a term sheet, which is anticipated within days. Following this, the agreement must be ratified by a majority of voting players and subsequently approved by the WNBA's Board of Governors.
Key Terms of the New CBA
The new collective bargaining agreement introduces several significant and transformative changes:
- Duration: The deal is for seven years, featuring a mutual opt-out clause available after the sixth year.
- Salary Cap: The new team salary cap is reported to start at $7 million, with some sources indicating $7.5 million. This represents a substantial increase from the previous season's cap of approximately $1.5 million.
- Player Salaries:
- Average player compensation is projected to exceed $500,000, with some reports suggesting figures up to $600,000. This is a significant jump from an average of $125,000 in 2025 under the old structure.
- Minimum salaries are set at $300,000, a substantial increase from $66,079 previously.
- Supermax salaries for top players are projected to be $1.4 million in the first year, representing a significant increase from just under $250,000 in the previous agreement.
- The agreement is expected to introduce million-dollar contracts for players for the first time in the league's history.
- Revenue Sharing: Player salaries are now tied to a meaningful share of league revenue, marking the first time league revenues will directly determine the salary cap. Players are expected to receive an average of approximately 20 percent of the league's gross revenue over the life of the deal, an increase from the previous average of 9.3 percent.
- Player Benefits: The agreement includes significantly enhanced provisions for family planning, parental leave, housing, retirement benefits, facility standards, staffing, and overall player support.
Negotiation Background and Process
Negotiations were at times contentious, highlighting key issues such as differing revenue-sharing models, player housing provisions, and the use of franchise tags. Players had previously advocated for a higher percentage of gross revenue, initially seeking 40 percent and later reducing demands to 26 percent. The league's prior proposals included a 70 percent share of net revenue, estimated by the union to be less than 15 percent of gross revenue, and a lower salary cap.
The agreement follows a period of significant stalemate, which included discussions of a potential strike by some players if a new CBA was not established.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert described the agreement as a "transformative step forward" for both players and the league, emphasizing a shared commitment to the sport's continued growth.
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike stated that tying player salaries to league revenue is expected to drive exponential growth in the salary cap and overall compensation, leading to a "historical" outcome for women's sports. Union executive committee member Alysha Clark noted that players had opted out of the previous agreement due to perceived imbalances between their contributions and compensation.
Upcoming Season and Offseason Timeline
With the agreement in principle, the league now faces a condensed two-month period to prepare for the start of its 30th season. The communicated timeline includes:
- April: An expansion draft for new franchises in Toronto and Portland.
- April 13: The WNBA college draft.
- April 19: Training camps are scheduled to begin.
- May 8: The regular season is set to tip off as scheduled.
This agreement allows for the formalization of team rosters, including negotiations with over 80% of players who are free agents this offseason, to proceed without further delays.