One of the primary subjects of concern today in women’s basketball is the ongoing CBA negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBPA. The latest round of updates reveals how the two sides are working towards keeping their demands, with the WNBPA aggressively pushing for some of their needs to be fulfilled with the new collective bargaining agreement.
The WNBA offered revenue sharing at 15% on Dec. 3. However, the players’ association countered with 30%, showing how the two sides seem to be in a continued spat on the expected revenue sharing from the league. Now, recent updates suggest that the union proposed 33% revenue sharing, which was rejected by the league.
The latest proposal from the WNBPA suggests that the salary cap would be calculated by subtracting the cost of various player benefits, such as health insurance costs, housing, local transportation costs, etc., from the player’s share of the previous season’s total revenue and dividing that number by the total number of teams in the league. The union also proposed mandatory audits at the team and league levels to ensure accuracy and transparency.
As per Yahoo Sports, under the proposed agreement, players would receive 30% of the previous season’s gross revenue, including a one-time adjustment that reflects the league’s $2.2 billion media rights deal, scheduled for 2026. In each season following this, the players’ share of total league and team revenue would increase by one percent. In all, the proposal ensures that WNBA players would earn as much as 34% of the previous season’s gross revenue by the end of the year in the CBA agreement.
Furthermore, the players’ association has also requested that teams carry a mandatory 12-player roster. Currently, most teams hover around the required minimum of 11 players and rarely carry 12. The union also seeks teams to sign two additional developmental players, who would receive a stipend and appear in up to 10 games a season before signing a full-season contract.
The WNBPA is also seeking to increase the number of games from 44 to 48 as the league grows from 15 to 17 teams. The number could see as many as 50 games being played if the league hits 18 teams.
As for salary expectations, the WNBPA has proposed that salary exemptions should be added to the next CBA agreement. Some of the proposed exemptions would allow for a “performance-based softening,” which means additional compensation for high-performing players on rookie contracts.
WNBA Players Express Concerns Over the CBA Negotiations Being Undermined by the League
The new proposals suggest that the average compensation in 2026 could be at least $500,000. The current CBA allows excess revenue to be shared with players in a way that 30% is taken off the cost of revenue and the rest 70% is split between the league and the players.
However, those provisions were never exercised since the targets were cumulative since 2020, and the league suffered a major hit following the COVID-19 pandemic.
WNBA president Nneka Ogwumike has expressed her concerns regarding this matter. She said:
“We don’t feel valued in these talks as they stand today. … I feel like we’ve been heard, but not listened to. And I’m hoping that that changes in this 40-day extension, because what we want to do is get a good deal done.”
The league needs to resolve this gap between itself and the players’ association by Jan. 9. Otherwise, the WNBA could be heading towards an imminent lockout.
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