Players could earn over $1 million annually as a landmark CBA proposal promises unprecedented salaries and shared league profits.
The WNBA has put forward a sweeping new collective bargaining proposal that would push player salaries to unprecedented levels and introduce expanded revenue sharing across the league, according to the Associated Press.
The proposal features a maximum salary exceeding $1.1 million — a figure that could apply to more than one player on each team. It also includes a new league minimum of more than $220,000 and an average salary above $460,000. Those salary levels would begin in the first year of the deal for more than 180 players and rise annually over the course of the agreement.
People familiar with the proposal described it as a highly lucrative package designed to accelerate the negotiation process. The league and union extended their CBA deadline from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30, giving both sides more time to navigate a deal viewed internally as potentially groundbreaking for players.
WNBA officials briefed the league’s board on the updated framework during meetings this week. The union opted out of the current CBA last year in pursuit of increased revenue sharing, higher salaries, improved benefits and a more flexible salary cap — priorities that players have repeatedly emphasized as the league’s visibility, fandom and commercial footprint continue to expand.
A similar deadline extension occurred when the previous CBA expired in 2019, ultimately leading to a new deal ratified in January 2020. That agreement delivered meaningful improvements, but the league’s rapid growth since then has intensified calls for a more modern compensation structure.
Before the 2025 All-Star Game, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert pointed to this negotiation cycle as a chance to reshape what players can expect from the league. In July, she said she remained confident that the next agreement would mark a new era for the sport.
“I’m still really optimistic that we’ll get something done that would be transformational,” Engelbert said at the time.
Engelbert has also expressed hope that by the 2026 All-Star Game, conversations will center on the progress achieved through the next CBA rather than the pressures of bargaining. Her viewpoint echoes comments made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in recent months, including his belief that WNBA players are due for significant raises and that they “deserve it.”
The league’s latest proposal marks one of the clearest signals yet that a major shift in player compensation is on the horizon. Whether the plan becomes the basis of a finalized agreement will depend on ongoing conversations between the league and the players union, but the scale of the offer suggests both sides understand the opportunity — and the stakes — of the moment.