WNBA sets new standard for women’s sports pay – The Observer

After eight days and more than 100 hours of negotiations, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement (CBA) poised to reshape the future of professional women’s sports.

With surging viewership and growing popularity heading into the 2025-2026 season, the WNBPA engaged in more than a year of intense negotiations before finally reaching an agreement this past week.

The agreement surpasses what any other professional women’s league currently offers its athletes. For the first time, player salaries will be directly tied to league revenue, allowing them to grow alongside the league’s rising popularity. Under the new terms, players will receive 20% of gross league revenue—more than double the previous share of approximately 9%.

Among the many changes, the most significant is the dramatic increase in the league’s minimum salary. Previously set at $66,079, the WNBA minimum will now exceed $300,000—a substantial jump. Additionally, the salary cap will rise to $7 million, up from the previous $1.5 million. As a result, the league’s lowest-paid player this season will earn more than the highest-paid players did in 2025.

The WNBA now becomes the first major professional women’s league to offer a minimum salary at this level. For context, the average salary in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is around $50,500, while players in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) earn approximately $37,131 on average. Prior to this agreement, no professional women’s league compensated its athletes at the level WNBA players are set to receive next season.

On the flip side, the maximum salary will be set at $1.4 million in 2026 and is projected to rise to more than $2.4 million by 2032. Meanwhile, the average salary is expected to reach $583,000 in 2026 and surpass $1 million by 2032.

The new deal also places a strong emphasis on recruitment, with existing rookie-scale contracts set to increase and future rookie deals expected to see significant salary jumps. Notably, the projected salary for the No. 1 overall pick in 2026 is $500,000. This marks a major step forward in attracting top talent to the league, especially considering that entry-level WNBA salaries were previously barely livable.

Beyond financial changes, the new agreement also addresses quality-of-life benefits. The WNBA will provide housing for all players in 2026, 2027 and 2028, and for players earning $500,000 or less in 2029 and 2030. Additionally, all developmental players will receive housing every year.

The agreement also includes a wide range of additional improvements. Among the most notable are provisions requiring player consent for trades during pregnancy, expanded family planning benefits for players and their spouses or partners and enhanced mental health coverage. It also introduces salary cap exceptions for injured or pregnant players, guarantees league-wide charter air travel and expands team staffing requirements to include greater access to physicians, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, physical and massage therapists and nutritionists. Additionally, the deal provides a one-time recognition payment for WNBA veterans and retired players based on years of service, ranging from $30,000 to $100,000.

Collectively, these changes address many of the long-standing concerns female athletes have had about pursuing professional careers. By raising the minimum salary and offering greater job security—particularly through pregnancy protections and family-focused benefits—the league is eliminating trade-offs that players have historically been forced to make.

Looking ahead, the WNBA is set to welcome two expansion teams this year: the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. During negotiations, union leaders encouraged players to enter free agency so they could re-sign under the new CBA and take full advantage of its benefits. The WNBA Draft is scheduled for April 13, with preseason games beginning April 25. As part of the expansion process, the new teams will be able to select players from existing rosters, while current teams can protect up to five players from being drafted.

For many professional female athletes, the figures outlined in this new CBA are almost hard to believe. While male athletes have earned similar—often greater—compensation for decades, this agreement marks a long-overdue shift. It finally recognizes these women for who they are: elite professionals at the top of their sport, now receiving compensation and treatment that reflects their value.

It is safe to say that this new agreement marks a transformative moment for women’s sports. The WNBA has set a new standard, and if the model proves sustainable, it is likely that other professional leagues will soon follow its lead.