“I don’t feel like a culture of trust is being cultivated. We don’t feel valued in these discussions as they are today. … I feel like we’ve been heard, but not listened to.”
This is what WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said regarding players’ views on the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations, according to a report from Athletics.
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Ogwumike added: “And I hope that changes with this 40-day extension, because what we want to do is do a lot of things.”
The more details emerge about the WNBA’s latest CBA proposals, the harder it is to challenge the players’ position, as the league’s concessions are balanced by demands that seem untenable, compromising or both. An early start date for training camp and the elimination of player housing are just the beginning of the league’s proposed stipulations that seemed intentionally designed to irritate players, rather than work with them.
The already bizarre new training camp timeline gets even more confusing, as Athletics I dug up a quote from Cathy Engelbert from early 2025, when the commissioner, speaking about the footprint of the WNBA season, said on The Bill Simmons podcast:
It’s a challenge up front. You can’t get too far ahead if you want the recruits to come in, which we do because it’s a great feeder system for us. So we’re going to look at the back end and how far can we go? And how many Saturdays of NFL and college football can we get into, and we’ll evaluate all of that under the CBA.
However, a league source told Khristina Williams of NBC and the In case you missed it with Khristina Williams podcast that “the league’s proposed start to the season could allow it to explore the season’s footprint and new ways to generate revenue, which could contribute to higher revenue sharing.”
Athletics also reported that in addition to eliminating team-provided housing for players, the league is also looking to no longer require teams to provide players with cars.
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In light of early reports of the removal of player housing, Natasha Cloud shared her thoughts on social media, pointing out that “this makes no sense for our younger players, for players who are let go and stuck in leases instead of teams signing replacement players, nor for players in larger markets. Not to mention player safety…”
Regarding the elimination of team-assigned housing, a source told Williams that the move was part of the “professionalization of the WNBA,” with the WNBA, like other professional leagues, only planning to help players find housing.
Here’s what’s known, unknown, unclear and unresolved about the WNBA’s most recent CBA deals:
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Revenue sharing remains essential
Revenue sharing remains the main point of contention.
The WNBA proclaimed that its most recent proposals, under the terms of Athletics“proposed a salary structure based on income rather than fixed in the CBA”.
But how “revenue” will be calculated is complicated. According to the report of Athletics:
(T)he WNBA’s current proposed salary structure would result in players receiving less than 15 percent of the league’s total revenue. This percentage would decrease over the lifespan of the CBA, based on the league’s revenue projections.
In addition:
The WNBA is proposing a system in which a portion of the league’s revenue would be shareable, with 50 percent of that portion going to the players, sources familiar with the negotiations said. It’s unclear how that metric is determined, but it would result in a projected total player compensation of $1.2 million at most in the first year of the deal, with that figure expected to increase significantly.
As was the case in the 2020 CBA, in which revenue sharing, while possible, was never triggered, a certain percentage of league revenue would be removed from the revenue sharing calculation as part of a “cost of revenue component.” This mechanism should not prevent revenue sharing, as was the case in the previous CBA, although it would certainly decrease the amount of revenue shared with stakeholders. However, according to Athleticsthe league agreed to guarantee that players receive 50 percent of revenue as part of their revenue sharing calculation, with the league making payments to players as necessary.
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So, based on the latest reports, the WNBA is proposing real revenue sharing, although it is not clear how the revenue to be shared will be calculated. The players’ share of revenue would also only represent about 15 percent of league revenue and would decline rather than increase over time.
A draft combine, revised rookie contracts and the future of the primary designation were discussed
The WNBA also proposed introducing a draft pool, with prospects’ eligibility conditioned on their participation. According to Athleticsall drafted players who do not participate will receive only half of their rookie salary, unless their absence is excused.
By instituting mandatory grouping, the WNBA would follow the NBA’s lead. Still, such a combination would appear to seriously conflict with the league’s earlier proposed training camp start date. A draft would likely take place after the college season ends in early April, a few weeks after the WNBA’s desired advanced training camp start dates.
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According to the report of Athletics, the players did not reject the possibility of a combined draft; instead, they prioritized promoting shortened rookie-scale contracts, allowing players to hit free agency after three seasons, rather than the current four seasons.
Currently, a youth player cannot become an unrestricted free agent until she is no longer a youth player. A player’s four-year contract on the rookie scale can be followed by a one-year contract after restricted free agency and two seasons under a base contract. As Athletics Note, this means that the typical US-based WNBA rookie who enters the league at age 22 might not reach unrestricted free agency until age 29.
The league has rebuffed union efforts to revise rookie contracts. They also haven’t been receptive to players’ desire to eliminate the baseline designation, the WNBA’s version of a “franchise tag” that gives teams exclusive negotiating rights with star players who would otherwise be unrestricted free agents.
The WNBA and WNBPA have also argued, without reaching an agreement, over the number of guaranteed contracts teams are allowed to offer, with the league seeking to preserve the six-player limit and the union pushing for no limit.
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Stakeholders do not neglect other priorities in terms of quality of life
Even with a focus on revenue sharing, stakeholders have not neglected efforts to expand many of the quality of life priorities they called for in the 2020 CBA.
Parental leave for non-biological parents, mental health care, benefits for retired players and standards for facilities and staffing are among the players’ demands, according to Athletics.
Both parties have presented proposals that would provide parental leave to non-delivery parents, with the WNBA offering a week of paid leave. The preferred distribution of players is not known. The two sides also exchanged ideas on benefits for retired players, including a one-time payment to players who played in the WNBA for a certain number of seasons. Players are also advocating for medical benefits for uninsured retired players.
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Regarding mental health care, the WNBPA is calling for players to be reimbursed when seeking mental health services, while the WNBA has included access to mental health care in its proposals. Athletics notes that “a deficit remains in the financial aspect”.
Players are also seeking consistent league-wide standards for training facilities, including private locker rooms and weight rooms, as well as organizational staff, with required numbers of strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and doctors per team. According to Athleticsthe league was receptive to the idea of discussing standardized personnel requirements, but resisted collaborating on facility standards.
