WNBA Players Seek Fair Agreement for Next Season
The president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), Nneka Ogwumike, has stated that, despite the strike authorization by the union amid negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, WNBA players want to play next season.The players voted on the strike authorization during the week, with a 93% turnout and a 98% vote in favor. This vote does not imply an imminent strike; rather, it gives the WNBPA’s seven-member executive committee the ability to vote on whether to strike if deemed necessary. Ogwumike called the vote a “symbol of our unity and the trust we have in each other to give ourselves a certain level of authority in these negotiations.”We are looking for a good agreement, but we are also prepared for whatever is necessary to achieve it, understanding that we want a 2026 season. We want to make sure that season is the best for us, to put the product on the court and that product is valued.
Nneka Ogwumike
In almost 30 years of league history, there has never been a work stoppage, whether a strike by the players or a lockout by the owners. The players and the league agreed to extend the current collective bargaining agreement and continue talks until January 9, the second extension decided since the original expiration date of the agreement on October 31. Despite the new deadline approaching, Ogwumike said she doesn’t feel that “anything has substantially changed in our conversations,” and that she almost feels that the negotiations are “a bit in their infancy.” According to a source, the latest WNBA proposal includes a revenue-sharing model without a limit that would raise maximum salaries above $1.3 million (an increase of $249,244 in 2025) and up to almost $2 million during the term of the agreement; average salaries to more than $530,000 (from $120,000 in 2025) and up to more than $770,000 during the term of the agreement; and minimum salaries to more than $250,000 in the first year alone (compared to $66,079 in 2025).This means we could strike if necessary, but it doesn’t mean we want that to happen. But we have it in our arsenal to get exactly what we need, which is a fair agreement that represents our value in a very significant way.
Nneka Ogwumike
Although those figures represent massive increases, Ogwumike says that the league’s proposed revenue-sharing model “is not adequate, especially with the level of creativity and innovation on our side to try to get closer to their side of the table, because that has not been extended to us”.
The union has proposed a system in which players receive around 30% of gross revenue, according to a source, as players have advocated for a review of a system that, they have argued, has undervalued them for a long time. Meanwhile, the league proposed a revenue-sharing system that awarded players more than 50% of net revenue, which is equivalent to less than 15% of gross revenue, suggesting that, although it wants to provide higher salaries, the WNBA requires a much larger percentage of revenue to cover operating costs than other major professional leagues. Players are also concerned that the league is looking to eliminate team-provided housing, Ogwumike said, as well as the lack of infrastructure standardization. Ogwumike also feels that there is room for greater “collaboration and cohesion at the table” three weeks from the new deadline.I have hope. I want to play and I know I’m going to get a good deal on behalf of these players, along with the incredible leadership of this executive committee. So I’m looking forward to seeing how the conversations can be more collaborative.
Nneka Ogwumike
