Pay them what you owe them: Inside the WNBA

N.Y

The WNBA is a growing industry: from selling out crowds to record breaking viewership, there has been massive growth within the league over the last two years. New talent including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have massively elevated league popularity, with additional newfound respect for league veterans like A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas and Napheesa Collier. 

As the league grows, players are at the negotiating table to fight for their fair share in league growth, but these negotiations are not going as smoothly as one would hope. If no agreement is made, the WNBA is at high risk of work stoppage, manifesting through either a lock out or a players’ strike. The next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiation can determine the future of this league: will the WNBA pay them what they owe them or risk losing all they’ve built thus far?

CBA negotiations are underway, and there’s much conversation to be had. The CBA is the legally binding agreement between the WNBA and its players that sets out the terms of employment, including their working conditions, salaries and benefits. The last CBA was held in 2020 and was supposed to last until 2027, but amidst exponential league growth, the players opted out of this deal and are back to rearranging agreements.

Players feel as though their salaries have not kept pace with league growth, based on the 2020 agreement. Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association, shares, “The players are still adamant that we get a percentage of revenue that grows with the business.” Given the surge in viewership and lucrative media deals, players want their salaries to reflect this upcoming economic growth; however, players only hold a share of about 9% of league income and salaries accounting for under 7% of revenue.

Comparatively, NBA players receive about 50% of their basketball-related income, similar to the NFL and NHL agreements. Women’s basketball players want new equity-based compensation which directly ties to league revenue and success, matching what other leagues possess. Additionally, players are fighting for improved working conditions, seeking charter travel standards, amplifying player safety and better support services.

The WNBA has seen great complications with league leadership and officiating. This has prompted players to speak out about their experiences, especially Napheesa Collier, starter for the Minnesota Lynx and vice-president of the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association. First, she organized shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us” for players to practice in during the 2025 All-Star Game, a mass display of the players’ frustration.

Months later, during game three of the 2025 WNBA semifinals, Collier suffered a serious ankle injury. Head coach of the Lynx, Cheryl Reeves, was ejected and later suspended after displaying her frustration with league officiating and double standards regarding game physicality and inconsistency. Between this occurrence, high tensions due to CBA discussions, and prior unsettling conversations with league commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, Collier decided to publicly address this issue.

“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said.

She addressed leaderships’ indifference to the product placed on the court, referring to it as “self-sabotage.” Collier acknowledged that the league often frames CBA negotiations around financial sustainability, but argued that without accountability and consistent standards, true sustainability for the WNBA will be unattainable. 

Collier exposed conversations with Engelbert; what was said left all viewers and listeners shocked. When asked about inconsistency in officiating, Engelbert told Collier that “only the losers complain about the refs.” Collier also vocalized the impact rookies have on league growth, along with the discrepancy between this revenue drive and their actual basketball-based income.

Engelbert replied that players should be “on their knees” thanking her, and that “Caitlin [Clark] should be grateful she makes sixteen million [dollars] off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t be making anything.” Collier added that she received heaps of texts and calls after her injury, excluding one from the league’s commissioner. Engelbert has gone on to deny these allegations, but the fans’ overall perspective on her has drastically shifted amongst these claims.

Following Collier’s statements, there has been much awareness and attention brought to the topic at hand. Players and coaches have publicly voiced support for Collier’s statement.

“I was honestly disgusted by the comments that Cathy [Engelbert] made… But at the same time, I’m very appreciative that we have people like Phee in our committee of players’ association representing us,” league MVP, A’ja Wilson, said in a press conference.

Others took to social media to share their content with these remarks: “10/10. No notes!” Angel Reese posted on X. Even Indiana Fever’s head coach, Stephanie White, echoed her respect for Collier, and her admiration for strong women like her who will stick up for their beliefs.

Engelbert emphasized that how Collier portrayed their conversation was disheartening, and that she does not plan on resigning as the league’s commissioner. When she presented the Las Vegas Aces with their championship trophy, the crowd booed her in displeasure towards her actions regarding the league. The overwhelming majority of people have sided with Collier and her remarks, even after Engelbert released her statement.

As a collective, players, coaches and viewers alike, are eager to see changes in the league; they have made it abundantly clear that without re-evaluations from a leadership and officiating standpoint, the WNBA cannot prosper sufficiently. While these discussions are about disputations of salary caps and free agency, there is much more at stake. This is a transformative time period for the WNBA with rising viewership and franchise value. The league faces a choice in their negotiations, but as Collier said, sustainability without accountability is not sustainable. The league has reached a breaking point at the peak of their momentum, as players aren’t simply asking for higher wages; rather, they are asking for respect for the women who power the league.

These negotiations matter, not just for the players on the court today, but for the very heart of why this league exists: for every little girl in her driveway who shoots around with dreams of being the next Caitlin Clark, for the girl practicing at the park who is never taken seriously, for the pioneers who played anyways, regardless of what others said and despite every obstacle and doubt they faced.

Women’s basketball has always been more than just a game: It is a movement. It’s about pushing boundaries, defying odds and inspiring future generations of young girls who see themselves in their heroes. Girls who are told they can’t but who prove every day that they can.

Stephanie Marcus is a sophomore from Hewlett, N.Y. studying Psychology.