WNBA, Players’ Union Reach Labor Deal, Season Set to Continue

The WNBA season will go on! as league and players’ union finally reach a labor agreement 

After more than 100 hours of “marathon” negotiations over the past week, the WNBA and its players association tentatively agreed on the terms of a new labor contract early Wednesday morning. 

The deal came after players opted out of the league’s previous contract in October 2024. Negotiations were contentious—housing, revenue sharing, and the salary cap were the main sticking points—but WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the deal "a fair win-win for all” on Wednesday. Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the players’ union, also praised the negotiations’ outcome, saying that "Cathy and her team understood that the players' wins were the league's wins.” 

The terms of the new deal dictate that players will receive 20% of gross league and team revenue. That’s closer to the 26% of gross revenue that players proposed than the 70% net revenue that the league was initially offering.

The new salary cap will start at $7 million, up from $1.5 million, and the average salary will be around $600,000, up from $120,000. The minimum salary will be over $300,000, up from around $60,000. Under the previous agreement, league superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese made only around $75,000 per year on their rookie contracts. Teams will also be able to offer valuable veteran players supermax contracts starting at $1.4 million, up from around $250,000. 

WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said of the agreement, "For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars, and raising the professional standard across facilities, staffing, and support… It redefines what it means to be a professional in this league." Commissioner Engelbert agreed, calling it “transformative.” The official deal will likely be signed by the end of the month. 

The commissioner confirmed that the extended negotiations successfully avoided changes to this season’s schedule. The draft will happen as scheduled on April 13. The 30th WNBA season will kick off with preseason games starting April 25. The regular season will start on May 8. 

— Jules Yaeger

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