WNBA President Nneka Ogwumike speaks to members of the media, in Indianapolis, last summer.Amy Tennery/Reuters
The WNBA and its players’ union met for a third consecutive day Thursday hoping to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.
They have had two marathon bargaining sessions over the last two days that both ended late at night. Union president Nneka Ogwumike said Wednesday night that players are “feeling movement.”
“At the end of the day, we want a season,” she said. “We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well. We need to see a more robust demonstration of that as we continue on in these negotiations.”
The two sides started Thursday’s discussions around 11 a.m. ET. The main sticking point is still revenue sharing.
Eight proposals had been exchanged over the first two days and in the latest proposal, the league has increased its salary cap offer for the first year to US$6.2-million – up from US$5.75-million in previous negotiations, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
“Our proposal on the table is a real historic and transformational deal for these players,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Huge gains and salaries, benefits, everything you’re seeing, but beyond that when you see the whole thing, huge, huge benefits. ... We’re proud of the deal we have on the table. I think it’s, again, huge gains for the players, while again, balancing that with the health of the league.”
Last year, the salary cap for each team was US$1.5-million. Average player salaries were US$120,000, and that figure stands to increase fourfold to US$570,000 the first year and US$850,000 by the sixth year, according to the person. The maximum salary in the first year would be more than US$1.3-million and nearly US$2-million by the final year.
The league had said that at least a handshake agreement on a labour deal would need to be done by Tuesday to start the season as scheduled. Ogwumike said the union never saw the deadline from two days ago as a real thing.
“We haven’t ever really considered that as a timeline that’s been something to prioritize on our side, because we have always been negotiating in good faith,” she said.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a news conference before the 2025 WNBA All-Star in Indianapolis.Michael Conroy/The Associated Press
When a deal is reached in principle, the league has said it would need a few weeks to finish off the CBA. After that work is done, the expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto would be held sometime between April 1-6, according to a timetable obtained by the AP.
Free agent qualifying offers, including franchise player tags, would be sent out April 7-8. Teams would then have three days to negotiate with the more than 80 per cent of players who are free agents. The signing period would take place from April 12-18.
Training camps would open the next day and the season would be able to start on May 8.
But for any of that to happen, the two sides have to figure out a revenue sharing model. The union’s proposal from a week ago had asked for an average of 26 per cent of the gross revenue – revenue before expenses – over the course of the CBA. That would include only 25 per cent in the first year. The league has said that number was unrealistic.
The WNBA’s last few proposals have offered more than 70 per cent of net revenue, with that number going up as the league continues to grow.