Revenue Rift: WNBA, Players Far Apart With Deadline Near - Report

The WNBA and its players are staring down a ticking clock — and a widening divide.

With just over a week left until the Jan. 9 deadline to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, negotiations between the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association are nowhere near resolution, according to ESPN.

In fact, both sides remain miles apart on several foundational issues, raising the real prospect of labour disruption.

At the heart of the standoff is money — specifically, how it’s defined, shared and accounted for.

The WNBPA is pushing for a true revenue-sharing model, something the league currently does not have. Their proposal calls for players to receive 30% of gross revenue and operate under a salary cap of roughly $10.5 million.

The league, however, has reportedly rejected the idea outright, claiming it would be financially unsustainable and could cost the WNBA nearly $700 million over the life of the deal.

The league’s counterproposal paints a very different picture. The WNBA has offered players more than 50% of net revenue — revenue after expenses — alongside significant salary increases. Under that model, average salaries would jump from roughly $120,000 to $530,000, while maximum salaries would rise from $249,244 to $1.3 million immediately and approach $2 million by the end of the agreement. The proposed salary cap would start at $5 million and grow alongside revenue.

But the definition of “revenue,” and how expenses are calculated, remains a major sticking point — and trust between the two sides appears thin.

That tension boiled over publicly in September when Minnesota Lynx star and WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier slammed commissioner Cathy Engelbert, accusing her of “the worst leadership in the world” and criticizing the league for prioritizing control over collaboration.

By mid-December, the players escalated matters further. In a decisive vote with historic participation, WNBA players authorized union leadership — including president Nneka Ogwumike — to call a strike if necessary.

“The players’ decision is an unavoidable response to the state of negotiations,” the union said.

The timing could hardly be worse for the league. The WNBA is preparing to expand with new franchises in Portland and Toronto in 2026, and a strike could derail those plans.