Mark Cuban proposes NIL-style sponsor deals, channeling outside money to directly boost WNBA player salaries amid stalled league negotiations and looming lockout.
As negotiations between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association continue to stall, Mark Cuban has offered an unconventional solution to borrow from college sports and let outside money directly supplement player pay.
With a potential lockout looming ahead of the 2026 season, tensions have risen over revenue sharing, salary caps, and player benefits. The union has reportedly sought a significantly higher share of league revenue and improved housing provisions, while the league has pushed back, labeling some demands financially unrealistic.
Into that debate stepped the Dallas Mavericks’ minority owner, framing the core issue bluntly that there simply isn’t enough internal revenue for teams to dramatically raise salaries on their own.
"In the NBA, a team can’t go to a sponsor and negotiate a direct payment deal for a player," Cuban wrote on X(formerly Twitter). "In college they effectively can with NIL money. When I have written checks to IU, I knew which players were trying to get with the money (although I never tie the money to specific players. It’s up to them ). The WNBA needs to look at allowing the same thing. Let the teams go to local sponsors and work out payments to players as part of sponsorship packages. The big name players have agents to do this. The rest make minimal amounts. With or without an agent. Let WNBA teams pay “NIL” money to its players.
Cuban’s idea centers on adapting the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) structure that reshaped college athletics. In college basketball, donor-backed collectives and sponsorship deals often funnel six- or seven-figure compensation packages to elite players. Cuban noted that star players at major programs can earn between $500,000 and $1.2 million annually, often more than top WNBA rookies.
His proposal would allow WNBA franchises to negotiate sponsor-funded payments directly tied to players as part of broader team sponsorship packages. Instead of relying solely on league revenue streams — ticket sales, national TV deals, and shared sponsorships — teams could build structured, capped NIL-style agreements supported by local corporate partners.
Cuban acknowledged that this runs counter to traditional NBA labor norms, where teams cannot directly coordinate sponsor payments for player compensation. But he argues the WNBA operates under different financial realities and may need a different model.
Additionally, the investment mogul also floated the idea of placing limits on such deals based on years of experience, along with a league-mandated revenue pool to maintain competitive balance. Larger markets, with deeper sponsor bases, would inevitably have advantages — but a percentage-sharing mechanism could mitigate disparities.
Critics quickly identified potential flaws. College NIL works largely because of deep alumni loyalty and donor culture — dynamics that don’t translate neatly to professional women’s basketball.
Others argue that if a pro league must rely on external subsidies to fund salaries, it underscores deeper structural revenue challenges.
Still, Cuban’s proposal highlights the urgency surrounding the current labor impasse. The WNBA has grown in visibility and ratings, driven in part by new stars and increased media coverage, but revenue growth has not yet matched player compensation expectations.
Still, Cuban’s proposal reveals the urgency surrounding the current labor impasse. The WNBA has grown in visibility and ratings, driven in part by new stars and increased media coverage, but revenue growth has not yet matched player compensation expectations.