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The WNBPA revealed on Sunday that the WNBA surpassed a major milestone for the first time in its history. The league told the union’s leaders earlier in February that enough money was earned in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing with the players.
While the WNBPA didn’t detail the revenue generated or the revenue threshold, and the W refused to comment on the payments, the $8 million total that will be dispersed to the league’s 13 teams has been confirmed. The announcement comes amid the two sides’ negotiations over a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement), which have included disagreements over future revenue-sharing policies.
“This shows our value and how what we’re fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting,” WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner told ESPN.
“I’m just hopeful that this distribution gives them a little bit of comfort and a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson added.
The 2020 CBA dictated that players were set to receive 50% of shared revenue. With $8 million guaranteed to those who were active in 2025, another $8 million is slated to go towards league marketing agreements that promote the WNBA and its partners. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike pointed to this outcome as a reason why the players’ union is standing its ground in the CBA talks.
“We’ve grown as a union and put our name, image, and likeness into a collective package. The union exists for us to be able to represent all players, so I think it’s a great way for all players to be able to share in the growth,” Ogwumike said.
“Players do not want to strike; nobody wants a work stoppage,” Ogwumike added. “But at the end of the day, we do have to be ready. So as we continue to [negotiate], us being ready is imperative. It’s fair to say that part of [this] announcement is us being ready and displaying that we are ready.”
The WNBPA also announced that it had $9.25 million to divide among players from licensing revenue that’s been generated from jersey sales, trading cards, video games, and other merchandise since 2020.
