WNBA: Key CBA 2025 Negotiations and the Future of Women’s Basketball

2025 WNBA All-Star Game: A Collective Cry for Equal Pay

The WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis in 2025 will be remembered for a powerful demonstration of unity. During warm-up, all players wore black t-shirts with the message “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, where the players felt that the desired progress was not being achieved. The decision to use these t-shirts was unanimous, with all 22 All-Stars supporting the initiative. This show of solidarity, a fundamental principle for WNBA players, manifested itself in a context of labor negotiations with diverse realities. 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 from foreign leagues. Some are on rookie contracts, others are nearing retirement. Mothers, international players, and future WNBA prospects also have their own expectations. Furthermore, in a recent development, some players have invested in or even co-founded other professional leagues. With the deadline for the new collective bargaining agreement set for November 30, the WNBPA and the WNBA are seeking a “transformative” agreement. What’s at stake for the various interests of the players and how could these differences manifest themselves in the negotiations? We analyze the different perspectives of the players and the WNBPA, and how they could be affected by the new agreement.

The Key Negotiator: Terri Jackson, Executive Director of the WNBPATerri Jackson, who took over as executive director in 2016, is participating in her second collective bargaining negotiations. In 2020, she led the obtaining of an agreement that included important advances for the players, such as significant salary increases, changes that boosted a more active free agency, and improvements for mothers and players on parental leave. The relationship between Jackson and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert seems to have cooled since then. This year, the union has more openly criticized the WNBA/NBA over labor negotiations, seeking to influence public opinion with actions such as the use of “Pay Us What You Owe Us” jerseys in the All-Star Game. Given the changing financial landscape of the league, this could be a transcendental collective bargaining agreement for Jackson, so it is crucial that she keeps the players united, ensuring that the interests of both the WNBA stars and the union members are protected.

Superstars with Large Off-Court EarningsKey players: 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 generate much more income for her than her salary in the WNBA. She is part of a group of players, both veterans and rookies, who could weather a possible work stoppage without financial difficulties. However, a key part of obtaining sponsorships is visibility, which the WNBA provides. Clark has two years remaining on the rookie contract she signed as the first 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 who fit within the salary cap. However, we don’t know if the new collective bargaining agreement will result in fewer cases of players willing to do so or who feel the need to do so.

Role Players

Key examples: 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 colleagues on their WNBA jobs and the success of the league, and a work stoppage would likely affect them more. A four- or five-fold increase in WNBA salary would have a significant impact on this group. More roster spots, through expansion or an increase in roster size, 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

Key examples: 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 increases 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 are poised to gain despite being under contract. At the same time, with long careers ahead, young WNBA players will not want to secure a deal that limits their earning potential in the future.

Players Near Retirement

Key examples: DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix Mercury), Alysha Clark (Washington Mystics), Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix Mercury), Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun) 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 the one that NBA players have. The WNBA currently 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 them, the league started in 1997, to also benefit from a pension plan.

Players in the “Bubble” of the RosterKey examples: 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, who along with 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 the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Roster expansion could create even more opportunities. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said in May that she considers increasing rosters to 13 or adding an injured list to be “incredibly reasonable” options. Not only are larger rosters 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 across the country at the last minute to join new teams and play immediately.

International Players

Key examples: Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm), Emma Meesseman (New York Liberty), Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury) Prioritization is a priority 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 demands 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 Olympics and the FIBA World Cup, a problem for continental championships that do not include USA Basketball.

WNBA executive committee members with interest in other leaguesKey examples: 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 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 aimed at the top 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

Key examples: 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, whereas they were previously only guaranteed half, and also gave them a childcare stipend, workplace accommodations for breastfeeding, and at least a two-bedroom apartment for players with children. 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

Key examples: 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 doesn’t have the off-court brand or endorsement deals to provide her with large supplemental income. Because of this, she doesn’t 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 at the highest possible WNBA salary, but prevents them from signing with another team as a free agent. During the latest collective bargaining negotiations, the maximum number of times a player can be chosen was reduced from three years to two. Now there is a possibility that it will go down 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 PlayersKey examples: 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 closely watching 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. How will the new collective bargaining agreement and playing in the WNBA look for the next generation of stars? How much will rookies’ salaries increase with the new agreement? Another matter to be determined is whether the draft eligibility rules 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 affect important talents like Watkins and Strong.