League proposes a million-dollar maximum salary. Revenue sharing could push earnings even higher, aiming to reshape the WNBA's financial future.
The WNBA has returned to the bargaining table with its most aggressive compensation proposal yet, signaling a new phase in labor talks just one day after the league and players union agreed to extend the current collective bargaining agreement through Jan. 9.
According to details reported by USA TODAY Sports, the league’s newest offer would dramatically reshape the financial structure of the WNBA. A source familiar with the negotiations told the outlet the proposal includes a guaranteed maximum salary of $1 million, with projected revenue sharing pushing a top player’s potential earnings above $1.2 million in 2026. The source spoke anonymously due to the confidential nature of ongoing discussions.
The offer also outlines a substantial raise for players at every level. The league minimum would climb to more than $225,000, while the average salary would exceed $500,000. Both figures represent increases from the WNBA’s November 18 proposal, which targeted a $220,000 minimum and a $460,000 league-wide average.
Under the updated structure, teams would operate with a $5 million salary cap beginning in 2026, a seismic jump from the $1.5 million cap set for 2025. The cap would continue to rise throughout the life of the CBA and would be tied directly to annual revenue growth, although specific revenue-sharing mechanics were not publicly detailed.
The two sides remain aligned on one core issue — players should be earning significantly more — but differ sharply on how compensation should be structured. The union has continued pushing for a clear system that ties player pay to a percentage of league revenue, while the league has offered revenue-sharing components without publicly disclosing the formula.
The WNBA’s November 18 proposal had included a maximum salary exceeding $1.1 million through combined base pay and revenue sharing and would have allowed more than one player per team to reach that mark. However, the offer did little to bridge the negotiating gap, leading both sides to extend the CBA deadline to Nov. 30 and again to Jan. 9 as major disagreements persisted.
For context, last season’s salary landscape underscores just how dramatic the proposed increases would be. The 2024 minimum salary was $66,079, while the supermax topped out at $249,244. Only five players earned more than $225,000: Kelsey Mitchell ($269,244), Arike Ogunbowale ($249,032), Jewell Loyd ($249,032), Kahleah Copper ($248,134), and Gabby Williams ($225,000).
The current CBA was originally set to expire October 31 after the WNBPA exercised its opt-out clause in late 2024. A 30-day extension pushed the deadline to November 30, before this week’s agreement to move it again to January 9, 2026, with either party now able to terminate the extension with 48 hours’ notice.
Historically, the WNBA has avoided labor interruptions. The league and players last stretched negotiations in 2019, when a 60-day extension was approved just days before the prior CBA expired. A new agreement was reached on January 14, 2020, and ratified three days later — maintaining the league’s nearly three-decade-long record of operating without a work stoppage.
With financial stakes escalating and structural disagreements still unresolved, both sides are now navigating one of the most consequential stages of bargaining in league history — and inching toward a deadline that could define the next era of the WNBA.