WNBA, players reach a labor deal. Here’s what needs to happen next
Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3), president of the WNBA players’ union, said for the first time that player salaries would be tied to a significant portion of the league’s revenue.
(Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press)
The league and players’ association have not yet made terms public, but the salary cap will start at $7 million, up from $1.5 million in 2025, and the supermax will start at $1.4 million, up from $249,244 in 2025, a person with knowledge of the negotiations and not authorized to discuss them publicly told the Times. ESPN was the first to publish these figures.
The total salary cap will increase approximately 4.64 times from the previous amount. The maximum super salary will be increased by 5.61 times the previous amount. This means that top players will be eligible for larger raises than the league’s average class.
The average salary will be $600,000, up from the previous average of $120,000, and the minimum wage will be above $300,000, up from $66,079.
“For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars and raising standards for facilities, personnel and support,” union president Nneka Ogwumike told reporters.
The main sticking point during negotiations has been revenue sharing, and that figure will be around 20% for the entire multi-year deal. The league had previously offered 15.5%, a source told the Times, and the players moved from their 40% request to around 26% in late February, then reached an agreement around 20% on Wednesday morning. The Athletic was first to report the change in revenue sharing figures.
Players negotiated a percentage of overall revenue without considering expenses while the WNBA sought a split tied to net revenue, mirroring the NBA’s structure that deducts expenses before sharing 50% of profits. The players reached a gross revenue deal, which gives them a cut of WNBA revenue without taking into account expenses, a person with knowledge of the deal and not authorized to discuss it publicly told the Times.
“This agreement is going to be transformational, and we hope you will see all the details soon,” WNBPA Vice President Breanna Stewart said Wednesday. “But it will build and help create a system where everyone gets exactly what they deserve and more, on and off the field.”
