Increase the Salary in the WNBA: A New Collective Bargaining Agreement
The projected salary cap under the new WNBA collective bargaining agreement will exceed $10 million by the end of the agreement, according to sources. The salary cap for 2026 will reach $7 million, a significant increase from $1.5 million in 2025. In the previous agreement, the salary cap started at $1.3 million in 2020 and grew 3% each year. The new agreement will be for seven years, with an exit option after the sixth year, confirming reports. The supermaximum for 2026 will start at $1.4 million. The average salary will be around $600,000, a considerable increase compared to the $120,000 of 2025. The minimum salary will exceed $300,000, compared to $66,079 in 2025. The average revenue share will be nearly 20% throughout the agreement, although it is not yet clear exactly how that revenue-sharing system will work, a key point in the negotiations between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. The agreement will also improve various benefits for the players, codify travel on charter flights, and establish other professional standards.Additional details of the agreement are expected to be announced once a term sheet is completed in the coming days. The agreement must then be ratified by the WNBA’s board of governors and the WNBPA player body.We are very grateful to be able to reach an agreement. We are proud of ourselves. And, frankly, we always told you that we were going to do business, and that’s what it looks like.
Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA
