2025 WNBA All-Star Game: A Collective Cry for Equal Pay
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, held in Indianapolis, will not be remembered for on-court performances, but for a powerful demonstration of solidarity. During warm-ups, each of the All-Stars wore black t-shirts with the slogan “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” This slogan referred to the collective bargaining negotiations between the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and the WNBA, in which the players felt that significant progress had not been made.
The decision to use the t-shirts was unanimous, a clear message of unity from the 22 selected players.
Solidarity has been a fundamental principle for WNBA players, even before these negotiations. However, as in any labor negotiation, individual realities vary considerably. Some players are millionaires thanks to off-court sponsorships, while others depend primarily on their WNBA salaries, which in 2025 ranged from $66,079 (the minimum) to $249,244 (the supermax), or on income from other leagues. Some are on rookie contracts, others are nearing retirement. There are also mothers, international players, and future WNBA prospects awaiting their opportunity.
Furthermore, in a recent development for this round of negotiations, some players have involvement in, or have even co-founded, other professional leagues.
As the WNBPA and the WNBA seek what both sides have called a “transformative” collective bargaining agreement, what’s at stake for these diverse interests and how might these differences manifest themselves in negotiations? Below, we’ll explore the different perspectives between the players and the WNBPA, and how they might be affected when a new agreement is ratified.Terri Jackson, WNBPA Executive Director, is negotiating her second collective bargaining agreement with the league.
The Negotiator: Terri Jackson, Executive Director of the WNBPA
Jackson, who took over as CEO in 2016, is involved in her second collective bargaining negotiation. She led the securing of the 2020 agreement, which represented significant advances for the players: significant salary increases, changes that led to a stronger free agency, and improvements for mothers and those on maternity leave.
Jackson and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who took office in July 2019, worked well together for the 2020 agreement. Their relationship appears to have cooled since then; Jackson criticized Engelbert’s comments in 2024 about the online vitriol from the fan bases.
This year, the union has adopted a more aggressive critique of the WNBA/NBA regarding labor negotiations, trying to influence public opinion with actions such as the use of “Pay Us What You Owe Us” jerseys at the All-Star Game. With so much at stake in a changing financial landscape for the league, this could be a collective bargaining agreement that marks Jackson’s legacy. Therefore, it is important for her to keep the players united, including guaranteeing to the rank-and-file union members that their interests are being protected, as well as the interests of the WNBA stars.
Before the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, WNBA players like Indiana star Caitlin Clark wore shirts that said “Pay us what we are owed”.
Superstars with High Earnings Off the Court
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Caitlin Clark, for example, has high-profile sponsorship deals with companies like Nike, State Farm, and Gatorade, which provide her with much more income than her WNBA salary. She is part of a group of players, both veterans and those still on rookie contracts, who could weather a potential work stoppage without financial hardship. That said, a key part of obtaining sponsorships is visibility, which the WNBA provides.
Clark has two years remaining on the rookie contract he signed as the number 1 pick in 2024. Once she becomes a free agent, she could afford financially to do what Wilson has done: accept a lower salary to ensure playing with a strong group of teammates that fits under the salary cap. However, we don’t know if the new collective bargaining agreement will result in fewer cases of players willing or feeling the need to do so.
Role Players
Kiah Stokes, Las Vegas Aces
Natisha Hiedeman, Minnesota Lynx
Lindsay Allen, Connecticut Sun
There is a variety of perspectives and experiences even within this category. Some, though not all, are making good money abroad, in Unrivaled (where there will be 48 roster spots in 2026, up from 36 in the inaugural season) or with Athletes Unlimited (40 spots). Some, though not all, have quite considerable off-court income streams. However, those who have neither depend more than their peers on their WNBA jobs and the success of the league, and a work stoppage would likely impact them more.
A four or five-fold increase in WNBA salaries would have a significant impact on this group. More roster spots, through expansion or an increase in roster sizes, would also provide them with more opportunities to go to teams where they can earn more money or simply find the best fit.
Players with Rookie Contracts
Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Aaliyah Edwards, Connecticut Sun
Maddy Siegrist, Dallas Wings
Not all young WNBA players are as fortunate as Clark to supplement their income off the court. For them, the extent to which the league raises the minimum salary could be crucial. When the minimum rose 36% in 2020 at the start of the current collective bargaining agreement, rookie contracts were revised upwards so that no player earned less than the minimum.
Given the likelihood of a much larger increase this time (league sources have speculated that the minimum salary could quadruple), recent draft picks could profit despite being under contract. At the same time, with hopefully long careers ahead, young WNBA players will not want to lock in a deal that limits their earning potential in the future.
For future stars, this collective agreement will not only determine the upcoming seasons, but will also lay the groundwork for subsequent agreements.
Bonner, who turned 38 in August, was the second-oldest active player in the WNBA last season. During the WNBA playoffs, she told reporters that she wasn’t sure if she would play again in 2026. Whether she does or not, a player of her age likely has a strong interest in the WNBA starting a pension plan similar to what NBA players have. Currently, the WNBA has a 401(k); the NBA has that plus a pension plan, which began in the 1960s and is based on years of service and average salary. Current WNBA players want those who came before (the league started in 1997) to also benefit from a pension plan.
Players in the “Bubble” of the Roster
Kiana Williams, Phoenix Mercury
Haley Jones, Dallas Wings
Elizabeth Kitley, Golden State Valkyries
The expansion is already a blessing for former college stars like Kiana Williams, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 Final Four, as she and Jones led Stanford to the NCAA title, who have struggled to establish their professional careers. There will be at least 24 new roster spots in 2026 with the entry into the league of Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.
The expansion of the roster could create even more opportunities. WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in May that she finds increasing rosters to 13 or adding an injured list are “incredibly reasonable” options.
Not only are larger templates financially better for marginal players, but they would also have a real opportunity to develop within the context of a specific team’s system. That surpasses the current hardship contracts that force players like Williams to fly halfway across the country at the last minute to join new teams and get dressed immediately.
International Players
Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm
Emma Meesseman, New York Liberty
Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury
Prioritization is the most important thing for Gabby Williams and other international stars. The rule requiring players to show up at the start of training camp almost ruled out Williams for the 2023 season (she was only eligible due to a concussion suffered during the French finals) and prevented her from joining the WNBA until after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
When Williams finally enjoyed a full season in the WNBA in 2025, she was chosen as an All-Star for the first time. Now that she plays for Turkish Fenerbahce, showing up on time shouldn’t be a problem, but if the league pushes for exclusivity, that could create more difficult decisions for international players. The league could also seek to prevent players from joining national teams for competitions outside the Olympic Games and the FIBA World Cup, a problem for continental championships that do not include USA Basketball.WNBA Executive Committee Members with Interest in Other Leagues
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Three of the seven players on the WNBPA’s executive committee have involvement in other leagues. Collier and Stewart, who are vice presidents of the committee, are co-founders of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league that played its inaugural season earlier this year and offers an average six-figure salary to the top WNBA talent. Ogwumike, the WNBPA president, has just signed a contract with Project B, a 5-on-5 league that is supposed to start next winter and will have a format similar to Formula 1 in which teams will tour Europe and Asia.
The three players insist that their respective leagues do not compete with the WNBA and that there is no conflict of interest regarding their ability to negotiate the new collective bargaining agreement. They say they need the WNBA to succeed as much as everyone else. However, if Unrivaled continues to be successful and if Project B can take off, this trio will not need the WNBA as much as the players who are not invited to play in these leagues, which are targeting the best WNBA players.
There is also the question of what would happen if prioritization becomes a point of conflict in the negotiations. Would they be willing to walk away from the leagues that offer them such high incomes?
Players with Children
Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks
Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
The current collective bargaining agreement saw some of the biggest advancements for parents and pregnant players in the league. It ensured that new parents received their full salary during parental leave, previously only half was guaranteed, and also gave them a childcare stipend, workplace accommodations for breastfeeding, and at least a two-bedroom apartment for players with children.
The family planning benefits are currently available only to players with eight or more years in the WNBA. It is important for players to expand these protections and benefits.
Star Players with Lower Off-Court Earnings
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
Brionna Jones, Atlanta Dream
Natasha Howard, Indiana Fever
Mitchell was the highest-paid WNBA player last year ($249,244 in annual income), but unlike other players who are near the maximum salary, such as A’ja Wilson, Mitchell does not have the off-court brand or sponsorship deals to provide her with large supplementary income. Because of this, she does not have the same financial flexibility as others who earn more off the court to accept a lower salary and allow more players to join her team.
Mitchell and Thomas received the core designation, which allows players to sign a one-year qualifying offer with the highest possible WNBA salary, but prevents them from signing with another team as a free agent. During the latest collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the maximum number of times a player can be core dropped from three years to two. Now there is a possibility that it will drop again. If that is the case, Mitchell and Thomas would not be eligible for that tag, which would likely give them more control over their future.
Future WNBA Players
JuJu Watkins, USC Trojans
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU Tigers
Sarah Strong, UConn Huskies
Lauren Betts, UCLA Bruins
Current college players are not technically represented at the negotiating table, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t watching closely how these negotiations unfold. Young players like Clark, Reese, and Bueckers helped catalyze this moment of tremendous growth for the WNBA, and there are a host of stars behind them who will help continue that momentum. What will the new collective bargaining agreement look like and playing in the WNBA for the next generation of stars? How much of a salary increase will rookies see under the new agreement?
Another matter to be determined is whether the eligibility rules for the draft will change. Currently, college players can declare early for the draft if they turn 22 in that calendar year, while international prospects must be at least 20 years old. If both sides relax those requirements, that would impact top-tier talents like Watkins and Strong.
