Following an in-person meeting last week, negotiations between the WNBA and its players appear to be back underway. Although players submitted a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) proposal back in December, the league had reportedly not responded by February. Over 40 players attended the recent meeting in New York, either in person or via Zoom. While the league did not provide an immediate reply during the meeting, it followed up with an updated proposal later that Friday.
The league has largely held its ground on financial terms, especially concerning revenue sharing, but it has offered some concessions. Initially, the WNBA aimed to eliminate housing benefits entirely, but the new proposal guarantees housing for players with less than three years in the league. Specifically, these players would be entitled to rent one-bedroom apartments during their first three seasons, including rookie players in development.
Brianna Stewart told CBS Sports’ Jack Maroney on the show Unrivaled that the league’s willingness to concede on smaller issues demonstrates they are starting to listen to the players’ core concerns.
Despite these advances, the players are expected to reject the latest offer because the league has yet to present a satisfactory revenue-sharing plan. According to Maroney’s reporting, negotiations remain stalled with a significant divide over this topic. Players want to allocate 30% of total revenue towards salaries, which would allow for team salary caps exceeding $10 million and individual player caps of roughly $2.5 million. The WNBA’s current proposal falls roughly halfway to those figures.
Time is running out, with the season set to start in only three months. Training camp will begin two to three weeks beforehand, and the WNBA Draft occurs a week prior to camp. That leaves just about a month for the league to navigate a crucial free agency period, where over 100 free agents need to finalize new contracts swiftly.
Additionally, the league must conduct the expansion draft to welcome two new teams—Toronto and Portland—this year. Without a signed CBA, these expansion teams cannot adequately prepare because the draft rules remain unclear. Once a CBA is agreed upon, existing teams will finalize protected player lists under the new rules before the expansion teams receive those lists and prepare their selections—a process that takes more than a few days.
Despite these challenges, progress is being made, and players are becoming more optimistic. Stewart noted in an interview with CBS that the players are feeling momentum. Conversations with league insiders suggest that if no deal is reached by the end of February, the season’s start could be jeopardized.
No serious strike talk has emerged yet. The players’ union voted overwhelmingly in December (98% approval) to give the executive committee authority to strike if necessary, but currently, both sides appear motivated to avoid that outcome.
Fan Take: This update is crucial for WNBA fans because it signals that while progress is slow, meaningful steps are being made toward securing better player support and fair compensation—both key to growing the league’s competitiveness and popularity. The outcome of these talks will shape the future of the WNBA, influencing everything from player development to team dynamics and fan engagement in the years ahead.
