The WNBA and the WNBPA are nearing the 11th hour for this offseason's CBA negotiations. Both sides have been locked in a stalemate for several months with the possibility of a lockout looming on the horizon. Unfortunately, it appears that both sides are still at odds after the latest bout of CBA negotiations.
The WNBPA submitted a counterproposal to the WNBA's most recent CBA offer on Tuesday per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
One WNBA spokesperson offered a statement to ESPN responding to the WNBPA's latest CBA proposal. The league slammed the proposal as “unrealistic” and once again claimed it would lead to millions in losses for teams.
“The Players Association's latest proposal remains unrealistic and would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our teams,” the spokesperson wrote.”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.”
The counterproposal included some concessions on both revenue sharing and housing. The players' union asked for an average of 27.5% of gross revenue over the course of the CBA. That would start with revenue sharing of 25% in the first year of the deal.
Previously the WNBPA sought an average of 31% of gross revenue, starting with 28% in 2026.
Meanwhile, the league has proposed that players receive an average of over 70% of net revenue, which amounts to less than 15% of gross revenue.
Both sides also agree on the size of the salary cap. The WNBA is seeking a $5.65 million salary cap, whereas the players suggested a salary cap of less than $9.5 million in 2026. For reference, the 2025 WNBA salary cap was roughly $1.5 million.
Housing is another big aspect of the current CBA negotiations.
WNBA teams have been required to provide housing for players since the league's first CBA in 1999. Both sides seem to disagree on the extent of those benefits in the next CBA.
Hopefully both sides can come to an agreement soon without pushing back the start of the 2026 regular season.
