Collier emphasizes player demands for a fair revenue share and improved benefits as WNBA CBA talks intensify, calling for a resolute stance.
As negotiations between the WNBA and its players’ union stretch closer to the 2026 season, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier did not pretend the standoff is simple.
“Well, someone’s gonna have to fold, aren’t they?” Collier told USA TODAY Sports when asked about the state of collective bargaining talks.
Collier, a five-time All-Star with the Minnesota Lynx and vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association, acknowledged the tension surrounding discussions over revenue sharing and player benefits. Yet her tone was not combative — it was resolute.
She made clear that players believe their position is grounded in fairness, not brinkmanship.
“We don’t think, obviously, what we’re asking for is unfair, otherwise we wouldn’t be asking for it,” Collier said in the interview with USA TODAY Sports.
Her remarks come as new financial details of the union’s latest counterproposal have emerged. According to ESPN, the WNBPA submitted a revised offer Tuesday seeking an average of 27.5% of gross revenue — defined as revenue before expenses are deducted — over the life of the agreement. In Year 1, the union is requesting 25% of gross revenue and a salary cap of less than $9.5 million.
That represents a reduction from the union’s December proposal, which asked for an average of 31% of gross revenue, beginning at 28% in Year 1 with a roughly $10.5 million salary cap, ESPN reported.
The league, meanwhile, has proposed that players receive on average more than 70% of net revenue — revenue calculated after expenses — which would amount to less than 15% of gross revenue. Its latest offer includes a $5.65 million salary cap in 2026, up from approximately $1.5 million in 2025, with future increases tied to revenue growth, according to ESPN.
The distinction between gross and net revenue remains the central divide in talks.
“But we understand it’s a negotiation,” Collier said. “And I think we are trending in the right direction.”
Housing has also become a significant pressure point. Per ESPN, the union’s latest proposal would maintain team-provided housing in the early years of the agreement but phase it out later for players earning near the maximum on multiyear, fully guaranteed contracts.
Teams have been required to provide housing since the league’s first CBA in 1999, typically in the form of a one-bedroom apartment or stipend. In its most recent proposal, the league offered one-bedroom apartments for players on applicable minimum salaries and those with zero years of service during the first three years of the deal, while developmental players would receive studio apartments.
In a statement provided to ESPN, a WNBA spokesperson pushed back strongly on the union’s revised offer.
“The Players Association’s latest proposal remains unrealistic and would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our teams,” the statement said. “We still need to complete two Drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time. We believe the WNBA’s proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come.”
A source familiar with the situation told ESPN the league projects the union’s updated plan would result in approximately $460 million in losses over the lifetime of the agreement. In December, ESPN reported the league estimated the union’s previous framework could result in roughly $700 million in losses. A separate source close to negotiations previously disputed that figure, calling it “absolutely false” and arguing the union’s model would keep the league in a profitable position, citing disagreement over whether expansion fees were included in projections.
Despite the financial sparring, both sides agree on one principle: implementing a revenue-sharing system in which salaries grow alongside league and team revenues.
Under the league’s projections cited by ESPN, maximum salaries — including revenue-sharing payouts — would reach nearly $1.3 million in 2026 and approach $2 million by 2031. The supermax in 2025 is $249,000. Average player salary, including revenue sharing, was projected to rise from about $120,000 in 2025 to $540,000 in 2026 and $780,000 by 2031.
For Collier, the numbers matter — but so does the message behind them.
“We have to be able to stand strong in what we believe in and make sure that we are getting a fair cut in this pie that we are building together as a league and as players,” she said.
As key offseason events approach — including expansion drafts, free agency and the 2026 draft — anxiety could increase. Still, Collier emphasized that players want the season to proceed.
“I hope people just remember that we want to be out there, too,” she said. “This is our livelihood. This is our job, our passions, what we love to do most in the world. We want to be out there.”
Her confidence did not waver.
“It’s gonna happen,” Collier said of the 2026 season. “This thing is gonna happen.”