According to the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, the WNBA reached a revenue benchmark to trigger revenue sharing with its players for the first time.
Union leadership told ESPN Monday that the 13 teams that played in 2025 will receive a total of $8 million to be dispersed among players.
The previous collective bargaining agreement, enacted in early 2020, included revenue targets that would make revenue sharing possible if reached. The union did not, however, divulge the league’s total revenue for 2025 or what the threshold was.
The portion of revenue set aside for players equaled $16 million, but the other $8 million of that is allocated for league marketing agreements, per the report.
“I’m just hopeful that this distribution gives them a little bit of comfort and a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN.
The union also said that players will collectively receive another $9.25 million generated from licensing agreements for things like jersey sales, video games and merchandise.
Revenue sharing is one of the key sticking points in the current CBA negotiations between the league and union. With a few short months before the draft and training camp are supposed to happen, the union reportedly eased its stance on certain financial matters in a counterproposal last week.
Per the reports, the union is now seeking an average of 27.5% of the league’s gross revenue, beginning at 25% in the first year of a prospective agreement. The salary cap for the initial year would be below $9.5 million in the opening season, per the WNBPA’s reported proposal.
Previously, the union sought a 31% average of gross revenue, beginning at 28% in the first year. The opening-year salary cap was at $10.5 million in the WNBPA’s previous proposal.
–Field Level Media
