The WNBA Enters a Historic New Era With Their Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement

Back in October, five women of the WNBA were dubbed Glamour Women of the Year amid their fight for fair pay. Five months later, the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA) have finally reached a tentative deal for a new collective bargaining agreement.

On March 20, the WNBA and WNBPA released the terms of the seven-year deal that was verbally agreed upon earlier in the week. This comes after the initial CBA deadline on October 31, which was extended multiple times as the WNBA players held out for a deal that would grant them an suitable percentage of the league’s revenue, along with other salary increases, perks, and protections.

That wait paid off. In a historic moment for women’s sports, the new CBA invokes a new revenue-sharing system that is projected to deliver more than $1 billion in players salaries and benefits over the course of the agreement. According to a press release, this marks the “first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in women’s professional sports history, featuring unlimited upside for players as the league continues to grow.” Meanwhile, player salary maximums are expected to grow from $1.4 million in 2026 to more than $2.4 million by 2032, marking “the first multi-million-dollar contracts” in WNBA history for the leagues top players.

“We’ve always believed that as this league grows, the players who power it must grow with it, and we’re proud to see that belief shared,” WNBPA President and 10-Time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike said of the deal in a press release. “We love this game enough to push for what it can become, not just for ourselves, but for those who built this league and those who will carry it forward. This agreement reflects that shared commitment, with players owning their value and future alongside a league growing stronger because of it.”

Among the many key details in the new CBA, there will be a “significant” increase to rookie scale salaries that will also be applied to players on existing rookie contracts. According to ESPN’s Alexa Phillippou, Caitlin Clark’s salary is reportedly expected to jump to $530,000 in 2026 after making $78,066 in 2025.

Back in October, 2025 Glamour WOTY and WNBPA vice-president Napheesa Collier described Clark’s initial contract as “insane,” noting that Indiana Fever player brings in “hundreds of millions of dollars” for the league. “We are being so grossly almost taken advantage of, and it should be illegal,” she said at the time.