The WNBA, coming off unprecedented success created by the 2024 season that saw all-time highs in attendance and TV viewership, has reason to be optimistic about its future as the season begins on Friday. But looming over that are the negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement after the players union decided to opt out of the current CBA back in October.
Those talks could have ramifications that go beyond basketball, influencing the landscape of women’s sports as a whole. “This is what we’ve wanted for so long,” WNBPA executive committee vice president, Unrivaled co-founder and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier said in a video interview. “We’ve always wanted to grow the game and make more money.”
But it’s still to be determined how much more money as the union and the WNBA continue to negotiate. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and union executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson have both agreed that the deal will be “transformational,” but what concessions the union and owners are willing to make to items such as the salary cap and the current revenue sharing structure remains to be seen.
This season’s cap of $1.5 million could potentially triple in the next CBA, allowing players to earn deals that exceed $600,000 annually—a sizeable leap from the current $249,244 supermax. The current revenue sharing system pays players 50% of all incremental revenue, a percentage of earnings that exceed set growth targets. WNBA players are pushing for a greater portion of the league’s revenue to be shared.
“I would say that this is a rightful evolution,” former WNBA president Donna Orender said in a phone interview. “This is the next stage of an exciting and viable business.”
The players are considered to have more leverage than when they struck their current CBA deal in 2020. That deal was hailed as historic, as the cap increased by a whooping 30%. But within five years, that agreement has become outdated due to rapid growth, especially after increased viewership helped the league land new broadcast deals that will drive more revenue ($200 million per year). Last year, the WNBA secured a media rights deal valued at $2.2 billon over 11 years with Disney (ESPN), Amazon and NBC.
The union has also gained leverage with help from alt-leagues such as Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled, which pay players competitive salaries that on average are near the maximum base salaries in the WNBA. But the 29-year-old league, remains largely unprofitable, despite seeing increases across almost every business and fan engagement metric. The Washington Post previously reported the league and its teams lost more than $40 million last season.
WNBA players rightfully want to benefit from the league’s economic boom but come to the negotiating table understanding that owners have been dealing with financial losses for years.
The players have outlined what’s important to them: significant player raises, codified charter travel, expanded rosters and a softer salary cap, as well as a more robust benefits package that include family planning services and elevated retirement benefits. Both sides continue to meet to hash out a deal which needs to happen before the current deal expires on Oct. 31 to avoid a work stoppage.
“It’s truly a defining moment right now for the league, and honestly women’s sports history,” WNBA agent Jade-Li English, who represents stars including A’ja Wilson and USC’s JuJu Watkins, said in an interview.
The league has decided to not publicly comment on what it’s prioritizing during the negotiation process, but softening the cap is expected to be a point of contention. The league currently uses a hard cap which offers little wiggle room since it forces teams to not exceed a maximum amount when paying player salaries.
Engelbert confirmed last month that it has received a proposal from the union and is examining it. But she said the league is looking for more of a full “comprehensive” proposal. “We’ve been here before, these things take time,” she said at her press conference at the WNBA draft on April 15. Jackson meanwhile told reporters earlier this month that she’s willing to take as much time as possible to secure the correct deal and didn’t rule out a work stoppage. The union, though, hopes to have framework for a new deal in place by the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis in July.
This upcoming season will feature a new team in the Golden State Valkyries and new stars such as Paige Bueckers, but it will mostly be highlighted by the looming CBA negotiations as players look to capitalize on their newfound attention as investors are pouring into the league. With most of the players set become free agents next year, awaiting the changes to the CBA, many around the league are considering this year’s season as the final iteration of this version of the W.
“I don’t think the league will ever look the same,” English said.
