Lead: Early Wednesday morning the WNBA and its players’ union announced they have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The framework calls for maximum player salaries above $1 million, minimum salaries above $300,000, and a starting team salary cap of $7.5 million. The figures mark a sharp rise from the old terms, under which the 2026 team salary cap would have been $1.55 million. League and union leaders said a formal term sheet will be completed and the deal must be ratified by players.
Key Takeaways
- The new verbal framework includes maximum salaries over $1 million and minimum salaries over $300,000, a dramatic increase from recent pay scales.
- The starting team salary cap is set at $7.5 million under the proposed deal, versus a projected $1.55 million in 2026 under the prior CBA.
- Sources report the agreement ties player pay to league revenue, with players to receive an average of nearly 20 percent of gross revenue across the deal.
- Union leaders had sought 26 percent of gross revenue before last-week bargaining; initial asks reached as high as 40 percent, while the league had proposed a share of net revenue estimated to be under 15 percent of gross.
- Negotiators logged more than 100 hours of talks last week, spending much of that time on the revenue-sharing framework.
- The agreement reportedly includes improvements on facilities, housing, retirement benefits and expanded family planning support for players.
- The WNBA says the 2025 season will begin as scheduled on May 8 despite earlier deadlines the commissioner had set to avoid calendar disruption.
Background
Players opted out of the 2020 CBA at the end of the 2024 season, signaling a push for what they described as a transformational deal that would let them share more directly in the league’s growth. Over recent seasons the WNBA has seen rising attendance, sponsorship and media interest, and players have argued that pay scales under the old CBA failed to track that commercial expansion. Under the 2020 agreement, revenue thresholds were structured to increase steeply, while player pay grew only modestly, leaving a growing disconnect between league fortunes and player compensation.
The union made revenue sharing a central demand in negotiations, pressing for a portion of gross league revenue rather than a slice of net revenue, which can be reduced by accounting choices. The league pushed back for a net-based formula, citing operational costs and financial stability. Beyond pay, players also raised quality-of-life issues including travel and facility standards, housing supports for short-term relocation, retirement saving improvements, and parental leave and family-planning benefits.
Main Event
Negotiations intensified last week with marathon bargaining sessions—reported to total more than 100 hours—aimed primarily at settling how revenue will be measured and shared. Union negotiators pressed for a fixed percentage of gross revenue that would feed directly into the salary cap; the league countered with proposals tied to net revenue and other formulas. By early Wednesday both sides announced they had reached a verbal understanding on core economic terms and ancillary protections.
According to reporting cited by the parties, the framework creates a new mechanism that uses league revenues to determine the salary cap, a marked change from the prior approach. Union leaders highlighted the move as the structural win they sought, saying it creates a path for player pay to grow as league income grows. League officials, while confirming a verbal agreement, emphasized that a formal term sheet remains to be finalized and that the deal will require player ratification before becoming binding.
The talks also produced language on non-salary items that had been under discussion, including clearer standards for team facilities, improved housing provisions for players during short-term relocations, enhanced retirement contributions, and expanded family planning benefits. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the agreement will need to be translated into a formal term sheet and ratified by the union membership before any contractual changes take effect. League business timed to the season calendar—expansion draft planning, free agency, the May draft and preseason—will proceed on an accelerated timeline to preserve the May 8 season start.
Analysis & Implications
This verbal agreement represents a substantive shift in the economics of the WNBA. Tying salaries to gross revenue rather than to fixed thresholds or to net revenue reduces the leverage of post-season accounting adjustments and gives players more direct upside as sponsorships, media rights and attendance grow. If the nearly 20 percent average of gross revenue figure holds, it would markedly increase the share of league income moving to players compared with the old structure.
For players the immediate impact is both material and symbolic: minimum pay above $300,000 lifts the baseline for most rostered athletes, and maximum salaries above $1 million change the earning potential for top-tier talent. From a roster-construction perspective, a $7.5 million team salary cap gives teams much greater payroll flexibility and should alter veteran retention, free-agency dynamics, and how clubs invest in support staff and facilities.
For the league and teams, the deal creates both a growth incentive and new financial commitments. Linking pay to gross revenue focuses all stakeholders on growing the overall market; at the same time teams and the league must manage increased payroll obligations and ensure revenue streams keep pace. Broadly, the agreement could accelerate the WNBA’s commercial maturation, making the league more attractive to sponsors and broadcast partners that seek a stable, high-profile product.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | Under 2020 CBA (projected) | Verbal Framework |
|---|---|---|
| Team salary cap (2026 projection) | $1.55 million | $7.5 million (starting) |
| Maximum individual salary | Varied (lower) | Over $1 million |
| Minimum salary | Below $300,000 | Over $300,000 |
| Average player share (reported) | Rudimentary revenue mechanisms, small annual raises | Nearly 20% of gross revenue (reported average) |
The table highlights the scale of the proposed increase in payroll resources. A starting cap near $7.5 million multiplies per-team payroll capacity several times over the prior projection and will be a key driver of short-term roster decisions and longer-term market positioning.
Reactions & Quotes
‘For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap,’ union president Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement describing the economic shift the union sought.
Nneka Ogwumike, WNBA Players’ Union President
‘This is a significant win,’ first vice president Kelsey Plum told reporters, referencing the move to use league revenue in cap calculations.
Kelsey Plum, Union First Vice President
‘A term sheet is yet to be formalized and any changes will require player ratification,’ Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, underscoring that the verbal agreement is a step in a multi-stage process.
Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner
Unconfirmed
- The precise revenue-sharing formula, including year-by-year percentages and caps, has not been publicly released.
- The final term sheet and full text of the CBA remain to be drafted and approved by both parties and then ratified by the players.
- Specific calendar changes for expansion drafts, free agency windows and preseason logistics have not been finalized and may be adjusted as the term sheet is completed.
Bottom Line
The verbal agreement represents a potentially transformative moment for the WNBA: materially higher minimums and maximums, a far larger team salary cap, and a structural shift to tie pay to league revenue. If the reported near-20 percent average of gross revenue becomes the formal mechanism, players will secure a substantially larger share of the league’s economic growth than under the 2020 CBA.
That said, the outcome still depends on formalizing the term sheet, the union’s ratification vote, and the detailed implementation of ancillary provisions. Stakeholders should watch the forthcoming term sheet and ratification process closely, because those written details will determine how quickly teams can adjust rosters, how compensation will evolve year to year, and how the league manages the fiscal transition.
Sources
- Defector — independent sports reporting summarizing the verbal agreement and citing reporting by league insiders.
- Shams Charania (X) — sports reporter whose reporting on the deal was cited in early coverage.
- WNBA — league official site for statements and formal communications (official).