WNBA proposes max salary above $1.1 million in latest proposal to players union: Sources

As the WNBA and the league’s players union approach the Nov. 30 deadline for the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league’s most recent proposal to the WNBPA includes a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million, sources with knowledge of the negotiation told The Athletic.

WNBA officials informed the league’s board of governors of the latest details of the proposal earlier this week as the league’s owners met in New York City on Monday and Tuesday, sources said. The league’s proposal also included a minimum salary of more than $220,000, with the average player salary more than $460,000, sources said. The Associated Press was first to report the latest numbers.

The league’s proposal reflects a maximum salary increase from a proposal earlier this fall, in which it offered the players union a maximum salary of around $850,000. League officials, including Engelbert, as well as NBA commissioner Adam Silver, have discussed the WNBA’s maximum player salary increasing in the future agreement. The current player maximum salary is around $250,000.

The proposal was made Oct. 29, the day before the players union accepted a 30-day extension offer to push the CBA expiration deadline back from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30, sources said. The two sides are expected to meet Wednesday, the latest in a string of meetings this month.

In October 2024, the WNBPA opted out of the current CBA agreement, which would have otherwise expired after the 2027 season, citing a desire to claim a “share of the business we’ve built.” The union and league have been negotiating since, and talks picked up during the 2025 WNBA season.

The WNBPA has remained steadfast in its demands to rework the WNBA’s current revenue-sharing system. The players union has repeatedly proposed a salary framework tied to the WNBA business, in which salaries are linked to a percentage of the revenue generated by the league. It is not known what share of revenue the union seeks in its latest proposal.

The league has met with a number of key stakeholders in recent days. In addition to meeting with the board of governors earlier this week, league officials met with WNBA coaches and general managers on Thursday and team presidents on Friday. At the competition committee meetings on Thursday, the topic of WNBA officiating was hotly discussed, sources said, and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert also publicly acknowledged at the 2025 WNBA Finals the importance of aligning on officiating standards. The topic of officiating also came up at the board of governors meetings.

A work stoppage would not immediately begin if an agreement is not met or another extension is put in place by Nov. 30. The sides would enter a period of status quo, which in practice would keep working conditions the same. Players could still enter team facilities and receive medical benefits in a status quo period.

However, in that scenario, the players union or the league could announce a work stoppage.