Crunch WNBA CBA talks near deadline as 2026 lockout looms amid threat from lucrative rival leagues

The deadline for the ongoing negotiations between the WNBA and the players’ association for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is fast approaching, and still nothing is official.

Having already had the original deadline extended an additional 30 days, this revised deadline of November 30 is just days away, with the threat of a 2026 WNBA season lockout looming large.

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The players have been a united front throughout the season, campaigning for a pay structure that “financially recognizes players’ contributions” to a league which has experienced exponential growth over the past few seasons.

This is largely in part due to some star names entering the WNBA out of college, such as that of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and more recently, Paige Bueckers.

But this surge in interest in women’s basketball has also aligned with the rise of women’s sports globally, including that of soccer and tennis.

Although official figures haven’t yet been released, a report from Deloitte projected that women’s basketball revenues were expected to surpass the $1 billion mark in 2025 alone, whilst women’s sports is projected to hit in excess of $2.35 billion.

With those figures emerging, what the players mainly want is a greater share of the league’s revenue reflected in their salary structures.

WNBA and WNBPA still far apart on negotiations

With the WNBA currently in a legitimate crisis, perhaps no better epitomized than by Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier who unleashed a scathing attack aimed at WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in her 2025 season exit interview, many are hoping – desperately – that all parties agree to a new CBA sooner rather than later.

Some hope surfaced when a report published by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press appeared to indicate that a number had been put on the table for a league-minimum salary of $200,000 and a maximum salary of $1.1 million.

“The WNBA’s latest collective bargaining proposal would include revenue sharing with a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million available to more than one player per team growing each year,” Feinberg wrote.

“The new league minimum would be more than $220,000 with an average of more than $460,000. Those numbers would start in the first year of the deal for more than 180 players and increase over the length of the CBA.”

However, just two days later ESPN’s Alexa Philippou quickly quashed the idea that players were content with the league’s latest proposals, as the initial report’s numbers appear to be somewhat misleading.

“I’m hearing that the players and the WNBPA [the WNBA’s players’ association] do not feel like this proposal moves things forward,” Philippou said on ESPN’s NBA Today on November 20.

“And if you look at the numbers that came out with this report, you see a salary maximum reported of $1.1 million, a minimum of $220,000, and an average salary of $460,000.

“But the issue that the players and the WNBPA seem to have with this proposal is that it does not meaningfully actually apply their request to have a revenue share system in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“What they want — and the players have been really consistent in this message — is that they feel that the salary system needs to grow with the business. And so far, this proposal does not include that to the extent they have been asking for.”

With that being said, just after the 2026 WNBA draft lottery – in which the Dallas Wings secured the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year – sometimes fiesty Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve offered confidence that negotiations between the parties are progressing, and that an agreed deal could be imminent.

“We’re obviously excited at the opportunity [to draft No. 2 overall]…” Reeve said to fans per a TikTok post from @IxchelMcK. “Prior to getting to the draft in April, obviously we have a long way to go, as you know.

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“I think things are progressing, so you all know, progressing with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Everything that’s happening is normal course of business. They will get a deal done. I’m very, very confident in that.”

WNBA trying to make rival leagues redundant

Whilst there are discrepancies over how close the WNBA and WNBPA are in their negotiations, many players have turned their attention to playing in rival leagues, such as that of Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited (AU) in the off-season.

The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, co-founded by Collier and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart enjoyed a hugely successful inaugural season, in which they were estimated to have generated over $27 million in revenue – a figure they are expected to eclipse in season two.

Furthermore, the players are paid far more competitively, which is part of the attraction for those WNBA stars.

“We’re confident with what we’ve built in collaboration with our athletes, partners and investors,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell – and Collier’s husband – said in a statement last week.

“We remain consistent in our approach to pay players competitively, provide a meaningful stake in the business and keep them home year-round.”

There is also the proposal of a league currently going by the name of ‘Project B’, which has already seen nine WNBA stars commit to participating in, including Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Alyssa Thomas, Kamilla Cardoso, as well as Indiana Fever duo Kelsey Mitchell and ‘enforcer’ Sophie Cunningham.

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Salaries here are touted to begin at $2 million annually, which is surplus of 10-times the amount that Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young – who possesses the biggest annual salary in the league – makes ($252.5k).

Players have also expressed their gratitude for the way they were treated when playing in Unrivaled last year.

“The players were very vocal about how they took care of them, from the professionalism of everyone involved, to the childcare, to all of the other aspects of Unrivaled that really matter for the players,” Unrivaled Breeze BC head coach Noelle Quinn said, via Yahoo! Sports.

“And because of that, you see it flourishing and thriving. And you’re seeing a lot of athletes still a part of it and wanting to continue to play here and grow here. Grow the game, grow their brand.”

Back in August, there was also some speculation brewing among the players that the WNBA and its team owners were exploring the possibility of completely eliminating player participation in other leagues via the “prioritization” clause.

This clause, introduced in the 2020 CBA, caused a whole lot of controversy, and should it be further amended virtually seeks to attempt to make the likes of AU, Unrivaled and Project B redundant.

Back in July 2024, Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams opened up about her views on the WNBA’s stance on the prioritization clause – the clause that saw her essentially forced out of the WNBA as she opted to play overseas in France due to making more money.

“It’s very clear that the league wants to push away all other leagues,” Williams said via Desert Wave Media. “It would make sense if they were paying us more here, but it still isn’t the case, even with the new proposals. And it’s very clear now that they wanna push Unrivaled out, push AU out.”

It is yet unknown whether an agreement will be reached by the deadline. If not, then there could either be another extension granted, or the possibility of the WNBA’s first ever lockout commencing.

Only time will tell.

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