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The WNBA is more popular than ever as it slowly gears up for its 30th season, but dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. Concerns of a lockout are mounting as the league continues to negotiate with its players on a new collective bargaining agreement.
This tense standoff took on a new twist Tuesday as the WNBA announced a groundbreaking proposal that comes with massive financial upside and significant drawbacks.
How Would the WNBA’s New Proposal Impact Player Salaries?
In July 2024, the WNBA agreed to a new media rights deal valued at approximately $2.2 billion over 11 years, averaging around $200 million per year. This move represented a significant increase from previous agreements, highlighting both the league’s growing popularity and marketability.
The deal shed further light on a flawed revenue-sharing model the players want to change. WNBA athletes currently receive a remarkably low share of the league’s total revenue, with base salaries accounting for approximately 9.3% of the total revenue.
This figure has been a significant point of contention in recent collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Under the same corporate umbrella, NBA players share roughly 50% of all basketball-related income, creating a stark contrast between the two leagues.
The latest influx of revenue from the media rights deal is expected to support higher player salaries, expanded benefits, and greater investment in league growth. However, the league has another trick up its sleeve in its latest proposed CBA, which does include an increase in player salaries, but at a potentially damaging cost.
The WNBA has proposed a seven-figure base max salary as part of a new CBA but removed team housing, per @AnnieCostabile.
The league has also proposed to make the season longer, with an earlier start date that would interfere with the NCAA tournament and potentially other leagues… pic.twitter.com/f907Wtra74
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 2, 2025
Removing team-provided housing certainly won’t go over well with the players. This perk is essential, especially for athletes moving to new cities or overseas during the offseason, as many WNBA players do when they play professionally outside of the United States.
Losing that benefit could make life more expensive and complicated, even if base salaries go up significantly. To further frustrate players, as the report explains, the season schedule changes conflict with the NCAA women’s tournament, which ends in April, as well as other international leagues.
The WNBA is clearly trying to increase its players’ compensation. But according to the league’s latest offer, that raise must come at the cost of certain perks and the overall logistical ease of playing in multiple leagues.
The question many athletes and their representatives will ask in these ongoing negotiations is straightforward: Why must these salary increases come at the expense of perks, given the lucrative new media rights deal? Overall, this proposal is unlikely to ease concerns about a lockout, at least for the time being.
