The women’s basketball player’s union has been at odds with the WNBA for several months, but the league’s latest proposal would see the salary cap reach all-time highs.
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is reportedly proposing a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to allocate a maximum $1.1m salary slot available to one player on each franchise’s roster.
An anonymous source told the Associated Press the WNBA held a Board of Governors meeting this week on the new CBA proposal. Proposed measures seek for the average league salary to increase from $102,000 to $460,000, with the minimum salary rising to $220,000 from $66,000.
The source revealed the WNBA views this salary package as a “highly lucrative” one, which will increase year-over-year. If the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) agrees to the package, it will cover more than 180 players and effective from April 2026 before the WNBA Draft.
Negotiations between the WNBPA and WNBA have been at a standstill for several months after players have been lobbying for more salary cap room to reflect the growth of the league over the past two years.
The original deadline for a new CBA deal was October 31, but both organisations agreed to push forward the deadline until November 30 to allow more time for an agreement to be made. The WNBA believe this latest proposal would see an agreement come to fruition.
The players and/or the league have the option to terminate the agreement within two days’ notice to the WNBA at any time.
In a statement last month when the CBA deadline was extended, the WNBPA stated: “While we believed negotiations would be further along, the players are more focused, united and determined than ever to reach an agreement that reflects their value and undeniable impact on the league.”
NBA support for WNBA
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke out on the CBA negotiations between the league and the player’s union and expects the players to gain a “big increase”.
He was also asked on NBC’s ‘Today’ show, before the start of the 2025/26 NBA season, whether the WNBA should gain a larger share of the NBA’s revenue.
“‘Share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA,” said Silver.
“I think you should look at it in absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making. And they are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it.”
