WNBA reached revenue-sharing target for first time during 2025 season: Source
The WNBA met its revenue sharing goal for the first time during the 2025 season, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Athletics. ESPN was the first to report it.
The specific revenue target is not listed in the CBA, only the mechanism required to trigger revenue sharing. The league generated enough revenue that $16 million could be shared with players. Of that amount, $8 million is redirected to league marketing deals, a program in which players promote the WNBA and its partners during the offseason. According to the collective bargaining agreement, a player can earn a maximum of $250,000 per offseason through the LMA. The other half ($8 million) will be given to the 13 teams to share among the players.
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The union has discretion over how the money is distributed. The WNBPA received the league’s annual revenue report on February 9 and has 30 days to decide on a payment structure, under the terms of the 2020 CBA.
The 2020 CBA introduced a revenue sharing system which allowed players to share surpluses beyond a certain target. This target increased by 20 percent each season and accrued over the life of the agreement. As a result, even though the WNBA saw a massive increase in revenue during the 2024 season, it was unable to reach the cumulative total due to the pandemic-affected seasons in 2020 and 2021, when the league’s revenue was significantly lower.
The league’s salary cap was $1,507,100 per team in 2025. Beyond salary, players could earn additional compensation for winning the Commissioner’s Cup ($500,000 per team), All-Star bonuses, end-of-season awards, and winning playoffs.
This collective agreement expired on January 9 after two extensions, and its revenue sharing formula will no longer be in effect in the new one. Although players and the league remain at odds over how to share WNBA revenue, both sides have proposed a system that ties revenue directly to the salary cap rather than involving separate payments.
This article was originally published in The Athletic.
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