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Negotiations between the WNBA and its players are ramping up ahead of the October 31, 2025, CBA deadline, spotlighting a potential quadrupling of maximum player salaries.
Currently, WNBA salaries range from $66,079 to $249,244, with the average base salary at approximately $102,249, according to Spotrac data. Only a select few players, including Kelsey Mitchell, Jackie Young, and Jewell Loyd, reach the league’s “supermax” range, capped just under $250,000 for 2025. However, that figure could soon be history.
A proposal is on the table to increase maximum base salaries to at least $1 million, a fourfold increase, though within a similar structure to the existing CBA, according to WNBA Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike.
“It's basically the same system that we exist in right now,” Ogwumike said. “They're proposing a system that includes revenue that would grow with the business. When you approach it from the perspective of their response to our proposal, yes, money is more, but ultimately, if you look at the growth of the business, the money relative to the percentage of everything is virtually staying the same.”
Despite recent growth, WNBA salaries are still a small fraction of NBA salaries. NBA players earn an average of $13 million, while WNBA players average less than 10% of the league’s Basketball-Related Income (BRI). By comparison, NBA players receive nearly 50% of BRI, which includes ticket sales, media rights, and merchandise. The WNBPA is pushing for a similar revenue-sharing model that scales with league growth rather than a fixed percentage.
The financial debate has taken center stage due to the league’s dramatic growth. The 2024 WNBA season reached a record-breaking 54 million viewers and had its highest in-person attendance in 22 years, nearly doubling the numbers from 2023. Franchise valuations have soared, as the Las Vegas Aces, purchased for just $2 million in 2021, are now valued at $310 million. The New York Liberty, bought for $10–14 million, now carries an estimated valuation of $450 million.
Players are demanding a share that matches this exponential growth. During the 2025 All-Star Weekend, stars wore shirts reading “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” and fans responded with chants of “Pay them!”
The current system provides only modest 3% annual increases to the salary cap, which league officials set at $1,507,100 per team in 2025. However, the league rendered a revenue-based cap increase provision ineffective due to pandemic-related setbacks in 2020 and 2021. Players argue that tying salaries to static caps no longer reflects the league’s financial reality.
The WNBPA officially opted out of the 2020 CBA in October 2024, forcing a renegotiation. The league’s expansion, with Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo joining in 2026 and a plan to reach 18 teams by 2030, adds urgency to finalize a deal that aligns with future growth.
Although there are no indications of a lockout yet, tensions remain. A work stoppage would prevent players from accessing team facilities and delay important offseason events like the expansion draft. Still, both sides are working to avoid disruption and are expected to intensify talks in the coming months.
