The WNBA labor dispute has reached a positive conclusion after the league, in partnership with the Players Association, officially announced on Friday that a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement has been agreed upon.
The agreement will run through the 2032 season. It still needs to be ratified by the players and the league’s Board of Governors.
The revenue-sharing deal will increase the average salary to $583,000 this season and the maximum salary to $1.4 million, while providing over $1 billion in salaries and benefits over the contract.
“This Collective Bargaining Agreement represents a defining moment in the WNBA’s 30-year history and all of women’s professional sports,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a news release. “Since its inception, the WNBA has been shaped by extraordinary athletes who believed in the league’s future. The agreement is a testament to that belief and to the tremendous progress we have achieved together.”
The salary increases represent a significant jump for WNBA players. Team salary caps will be $7 million this season — a huge leap from $1.5 million in 2025 — and will be adjusted annually based on teams and league revenue growth.
The deal projects the maximum salary to reach $2.4 million by 2032, and the average salary to surpass $1 million by then.
The minimum salary this season will range from $270,000 to $300,000, depending on service time. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft will earn approximately $500,000.
“We’ve always believed that as this league grows, the players who power it must grow with it, and we’re proud to see that belief shared,” said WNBPA President and 10-Time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, the league MVP in 2016. “We love this game enough to push for what it can become, not just for ourselves, but for those who built this league and those who will carry it forward.
“This agreement reflects that shared commitment, with players owning their value and future alongside a league growing stronger because of it.”
The players have been without a collective bargaining agreement since they opted out of their existing agreement in October 2024, a year before its Oct. 31, 2025, expiration.
There was heavy tension throughout the negotiating sessions and more pressure was looming with the upcoming 44-game season slated to start on May 8.
Finances weren’t the only big hurdle. Issues like housing and travel were also major sticking points for the players.
The league agreed to provide housing for all players from 2026 to 28 and for those earning $500,000 or less in 2029-30. League-wide air charter travel will also be included.
WNBA officials had set a March deadline for an agreement to prevent the loss of regular-season games. That deadline passed but negotiations continued.
“Over these past months, this group showed exactly who they are, prepared, relentless, and united when it mattered most, with a clear understanding that their value drives this business and when players win, the league wins,” said WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson. “This agreement delivers what players set out to do from the beginning, transforming the economics of this league. It marks a new era led by players who know their power and chose to use it.”
All players on the WNBA championship team will receive $60,000 — the payout was $22,908 in 2025 — and the runner-ups will receive $20,000 (up from $8,521). The WNBA Finals MVP will get a $30,000 bonus (up from $5,000).
The season MVP will receive a $60,000 bonus, the Defensive Player of the Year will get $30,000 and the Rookie of the Year will receive $15,000.
The All-Star Game MVP will receive $20,000.
The length of the regular season will increase to 50 games in 2027 and 2028 and 52 from 2029-32.
The WNBA Draft is slated for April 13 with training camps opening six days later.
–Field Level Media
