WNBA, players union meeting Monday as next step in negotiating CBA

The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association will meet Monday at 2 p.m. ET, as the two sides attempt to reach a compromise on a collective bargaining agreement. The league and the players union previously agreed to a free-agency moratorium in mid-January after the extension to the current CBA lapsed, and fewer than 100 days remain until the scheduled start of the 2026 season.

A source briefed on the negotiations told The Athletic that smaller, unofficial meetings in January have occurred between representatives of the league and the players union, but this will be the first in-person meeting involving the labor relations committee, team owners, league reps and players since December. Both sides worked over the course of this week to set up an official meeting to continue the negotiations.

WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, first vice president Kelsey Plum and vice president Napheesa Collier will attend in person. A second source briefed on the negotiations said the players had a call Tuesday to discuss how they wanted to proceed, given the relative lack of movement over the last month, as the WNBA didn’t respond to the players’ most recent proposal they submitted in December.

The sticking point in negotiations remains the players’ salary structure and revenue share. The league has proposed a system whereby expenses are subtracted from revenue before the players receive their portion. The players recommend that the full revenue be split before deducting a percentage for expenses.

Both proposals include team and league revenue in the total revenue share. The previous CBA required the league to hit revenue targets before any revenue sharing kicked in; however, the new CBA — both sides have agreed — should have no revenue targets before the sharing starts, and is uncapped.

The latest salary figures from the WNBA’s proposed six-year deal included an average salary of $530,000 in year one of the deal and a max salary of $1.3 million in year one. The players’ most recent proposal included an average salary of more than $800,000.

Once the CBA is agreed upon, the WNBA has to conduct an expansion draft for Toronto and Portland, free agency with more than 100 unrestricted free agents and a college draft. The league already announced that the draft will be held on April 13, and the 44-game schedule is slated to begin on May 8.

In its 30-year history, the WNBA has never had a work stoppage. The most recent work stoppage in American professional sports came in 2013, when the NHL had a lockout spanning nearly four months. The NBA also had a 161-day lockout in 2011, which reduced the season to 66 games.