WNBPA Questions WNBA’s Proposal for the New CBA
Sources report that the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) does not consider the WNBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA) proposal to be advancing negotiations, with only ten days until the current one expires. The league’s proposal, which includes a revenue-sharing component, would allow players to earn a maximum of over $1.1 million, an average of over $460,000, and a minimum of over $220,000, in combination with a base salary. In 2025, the league’s minimum salary was $66,079 and its supermaximum was $249,244. However, sources indicate that the players’ union does not believe the league’s proposal includes a system where the salary cap and players’ salaries will grow sufficiently with the business, a long-standing demand of the players since they chose not to renew the current CBA in October 2024. The players do not want a fixed salary system, but rather one based more directly on revenue, as in the NBA, where the salary cap is determined by Basketball Related Income (BRI).In response, the union said that the proposal “masks a system that is not linked to any part of the business and that intentionally undervalues the players”. In the current CBA, the salary cap increased annually at a fixed rate (3%), reaching $1,507,100 in 2025, as well as a separate revenue sharing provision that results in direct payments to the players if the league reaches certain revenue targets. That component has not yet been activated during the agreement. Last month, both sides agreed to a 30-day extension, until November 30, of the current CBA, although both sides can terminate the agreement with 48 hours’ notice. The league and the union have continued to negotiate in recent weeks, with a meeting as recent as Wednesday.The league has previously stated that it has proposed “significant increases in the guaranteed salary cap and a substantial revenue sharing without a cap that allows player salaries to grow as the league’s business grows.”
League statement
