WNBA, Players Union Agree to 30-Day Extension of CBA Talks

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association announced Friday that it agreed to a 30-day extension of the current WNBA collective bargaining agreement.

In a statement provided to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the WNBPA wrote: “The WNBPA Executive Committee agreed to the league’s proposed 30-day extension of the current CBA, with the condition that the players may terminate the extension at any time with 48 hours’ notice.”

The CBA had been set to expire on Friday before the WNBPA and the league agreed to extend it.

Per ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the WNBPA and WNBA agreed to a 60-day extension of the previous CBA back in 2019, and the two sides reached an agreement on the current CBA in January 2020.

That CBA was scheduled to run through 2027, but the WNBPA announced in October 2024 that it would opt out of the CBA following the 2025 season.

The current CBA brought forth many changes to the WNBA, including player salary increases, improved travel accommodations, an overhauled revenue sharing system and the implementation of the in-season tournament known as the Commissioner’s Cup.

Popularity of the WNBA and women’s basketball is on the rise, and there is little doubt that Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark’s arrival in 2024 is a big reason why.

During Clark’s rookie season in 2024, the WNBA delivered its most-watched regular season in 2024 years and highest attendance in 22 years, per the league.

The 54 million unique viewers that year were the most in league history, and the average viewership of 1.19 million on ESPN was an all-time record as well.

Given the ever-improving financial state of the WNBA, there are significant plans in place for expansion in the coming years.

The Golden State Valkyries became the WNBA’s 13th franchise in 2025, and they will be joined by Portland and Toronto next year, as well as Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.

With the WNBPA and WNBA agreeing to a temporary extension on Friday, it gives the two sides until the end of November to come to a long-term solution regarding the CBA.