The WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, following 17 months of negotiations.[1][2][3]
The agreement comes after WNBPA players opted out of the previous CBA on November 16, 2023. That prior deal, reached in 2020, was the league's fifth collective bargaining agreement since its inception in 1997.[1][3]
Key financial terms include a 50 percent increase in the team salary cap for the 2026 season, raising it to approximately $2.4 million from the 2025 cap of $1.668 million. The cap is set to continue rising, reaching more than $7 million per team by the end of the CBA term.[1][2]
The 2024 salary cap stood at $1.453 million per team.[4] Top players will become eligible for supermax contracts exceeding $1 million starting as early as 2026, with some reports specifying $1.4 million.[1][2]
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert described the deal as a "transformative step forward for players and the league." Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm forward and WNBPA executive committee president, said the parties were "grateful to be able to come to a deal" and had "stood on business."[1][5]
The agreement requires ratification by WNBPA players and approval from the league's board of governors. The WNBA's 2025 season, its 29th, is scheduled to tip off on May 16, 2025.[3][6]
Sources
- ESPN, "Sources: WNBA, WNBPA agree to verbal deal on new CBA", November 20, 2024, https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/42474754/sources-wnba-wnbpa-agree-terms-new-cba
- The Athletic, "WNBA, players union reach agreement on new CBA: Sources", November 20, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5938422/2024/11/20/wnba-cba-agreement-union/
- WNBA.com, "WNBA, WNBPA Reach Agreement on New CBA", November 20, 2024, https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-wnbpa-reach-agreement-on-new-cba
- Basketball-Reference.com, "2024 WNBA Team Salaries", Accessed December 2024, https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/years/2024.html
- AP News, "WNBA players, league reach agreement on new labor deal", November 20, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/wnba-labor-agreement-basketball-wnbpa-cba-3d3c5b5f5d6e4b0a8f1b2c3d4e5f6789
- WNBA.com, "2025 WNBA Season To Tip Off Friday, May 16", December 3, 2024, https://www.wnba.com/news/2025-season-to-tip-off-may-16