WNBA Players Closer to New CBA Deal with Proposed $1.1 Million Maximum Salary and Revenue Share
NEW YORK – November 19, 2025 - The WNBA has presented a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) proposal that includes a maximum player salary of $1.1 million and a revenue-sharing model, according to reports from ESPN and the Associated Press. The offer, introduced during a negotiation meeting this week, signals a potential breakthrough in months of contentious talks with the WNBPA.
If accepted, the proposal would address a key demand from the players, who opted out of the current CBA in October 2024, one day after the New York Liberty won their first championship. The WNBPA had prioritized revenue share in its negotiation priorities, citing that players currently receive less than 10% of total league revenue – a stark contrast to the NBA’s guaranteed 50-51% share.
The new offer also includes a significant increase in minimum salaries. League minimums would exceed $220,000, with an average salary of more than $460,000. These figures represent a substantial jump from the current CBA, which set the minimum compensation at $66,079 and the maximum at $249,244 this past season. The updated terms would benefit over 180 players immediately upon taking effect.
Negotiations have been fraught with tension, with players and the league clashing over financial openness and the future of the WNBA. Public criticism from players like Napheesa Collier directed at WNBA Commissioner cathy Engelbert highlighted a fractured relationship between league leadership and athletes.
“I’ve only had a few private conversations with cathy,” Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon told CNBC. “To me,her private conversations that she’s had with players,or her lack of the conversations,have led to some rocky relationship status with the players. When the players speak, people need to sit up and listen. I think she’s sitting up and listening now. I hope she would have done it earlier. I don’t know if [Engelbert] can ever, kind of, retract and get that traction back from those conversations.”
While the WNBA front office has expressed concerns that a revenue-sharing model could jeopardize the league’s long-term stability, players argue a lack of transparency has prevented them from accurately assessing the league’s financial health.
This is the first instance of positive feedback to a WNBA proposal,raising hopes that a deal can be reached before the November 31 deadline to avert a potential lockout.
