The WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association reached a verbal agreement on the terms for a new collective bargaining agreement early Wednesday morning.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert stood side-by-side with WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike and board members, including star player Breanna Stewart, as the sides announced the news in the lobby of a midtown Manhattan hotel just before 3 a.m. ET. WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson also was nearby holding a water glass with champagne.
Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. A formal term sheet still needs to be finalized and approved by the players and the WNBA board of governors.
ESPN reported that the salary cap will start at $7 million, up from $1.5 million in 2025. The average salary will be around $600,000 and the minimum salary will surpass $300,000, jumping from $120,000 and $66,079, respectively, per the report.
“The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league, and it’s underscoring a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game,” Engelbert said.
“It’s (been) a process, but we’re very proud to be leading in women’s sports, and these players are amazing, and we’re going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May.”
The sides spent more than 100 hours at the negotiating table over the past week coming to agreement on issues such as revenue sharing, housing, retirement benefits, the salary cap and player compensation.
“In our time as a league that is evolving, as a union that is evolving, this is historical for women’s sports,” Ogwumike said. “I told Cathy, it’s not just for the players that are entering the league or the players that aren’t already here, but it’s the ones that are standing next to her and beside her. And so we’re just really grateful to be able to come to a deal.”
The league’s previous collective bargaining agreement was to have expired on Oct. 31, 2025, but the players opted out a year early.
The regular season is scheduled to start on May 8, with training camp set to open on April 19 and preseason games starting on April 25.
The college draft is on the calendar for April 13, but the league also needs to schedule an expansion draft for the new franchises in Portland and Toronto, and nearly 80% of the league’s players are free agents.
–Field Level Media
