Firm Stance of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) on the WNBA Proposal
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) has expressed its dissatisfaction with the latest collective bargaining agreement proposal presented by the WNBA, according to sources close to the negotiations. With only ten days until the expiration of the current collective agreement, the WNBPA believes that the proposal does not represent a significant advance. The league’s proposal, which includes a revenue-sharing component, would allow players to reach a maximum salary of over $1.1 million. In addition, an average salary of more than $460,000 and a minimum of more than $220,000 is estimated. In comparison, the minimum salary in the league in 2025 was $66,079, while the supermax salary was $249,244. However, the WNBPA argues that the league’s proposal does not guarantee adequate growth of the salary cap and players’ salaries in relation to the growth of the business. This has been a constant demand from the players since they chose to terminate the current collective bargaining agreement in October 2024.Previously, the league had stated that its proposal included “significant guaranteed increases in the salary cap and a significant share of revenue without a cap, allowing player salaries to grow as the league’s business expands.” In response, the players’ association called the proposal “putting lipstick on a pig and recycling a system that is not tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players.” In the current collective bargaining agreement, the salary cap increased annually at a fixed rate of 3%, reaching $1,507,100 in 2025. In addition, a separate revenue sharing provision provided for direct payments to the players if the league reached certain revenue targets. However, this provision has not been activated during the term of the agreement. Last month, both parties agreed to a 30-day extension, until November 30, of the current collective agreement, although both parties can terminate the agreement with 48 hours’ notice. The league and the association have continued negotiating in recent weeks, with a meeting held as recently as Wednesday.The players do not want a fixed salary system, but one that is more directly linked to revenue, similar to what happens in the NBA, where the salary cap is determined based on basketball-related income (BRI).
sources close to the negotiation
