Representatives from the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) reconvened this week in New York to continue collective bargaining negotiations after the last in-person meeting took place three weeks ago during the league’s All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.
Teams of lawyers and advisors on both sides are combing over terms, such as length and opt-out clauses, as well as defining what income streams fall under team revenue, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. This is more complex for teams with NBA owners, since W teams often share corporate partners under the same parent companies.
“People like to talk about salaries but it’s not about numbers,” Pam Wheeler, the founding director of the WNBPA, said in a video interview. “It’s the [revenue-sharing] system, and what do you include in that system?”
The players union is focused on getting a revamped revenue-sharing system, one that gives the players a cut of revenue as it grows amid the league’s economic boom. The current CBA pre-defines the salary cap, and the latest offer from the WNBA follows that same model.
“It’s a dance,” Wheeler said. “Both sides know each other, it’s the same people, and they know what’s going to work and what’s not.”
Another element playing into the discussions is the clamor over the Connecticut Sun; this week, it was reported that there are bids from Boston and Hartford to purchase and relocate the Sun from Uncasville, Conn. Both offers to longtime owner Mohegan Tribe are reportedly for more than $300 million, which would be the largest amount paid for a U.S. women’s sports franchise. Three different ownership groups out of Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland recently agreed to each pay a record $250 million expansion fee to be awarded a franchise.
“We need that investment to come back in our pocket as well,” Dallas Wings star and WNBPA team rep Arike Ogunbowale said in an interview. “Our revenue [share] needs to grow, and our salaries needs to grow… For 20-plus years, we’ve been playing for the love of the game but now we want our pockets to match that love.”
The sizeable jump in price tags in just a handful of years highlights the league’s boom, but now management and labor are grappling over how to distribute a sudden influx of revenue, with the game surging in popularity even as most teams are still losing money, and will continue to lose money in the next CBA.
For nearly 25 years, WNBA owners stomached annual losses with minimal revenue growth, and capital investments were rare. That mindset is gone—owners are sinking money into new facilities and added employee headcount. Expenses also jumped at the league level, including the charter flight plan that costs $25 million per year.
Teams will get a bump in 2026 from the new TV deals, which are expected to generate an average of $260 million a year, but not all central revenue trickles down to the clubs. NBA owners own 42% of the league, and the 2022 investment consortium owns 16%.
Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca confirmed his interest in a statement to Sportico and reportedly plans to move the team to Boston by 2027 if approved. He has support from Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a former pro basketball player-turned-politician.
Billionaire Marc Lasry, a Connecticut native, could be another leader to buy the franchise if the league prioritizes an in-state buyer, therefore keeping the franchise in Connecticut, which has a rich women’s basketball history.
“There’s a reason we led the league in wins over six years and had the success that we did,” former Sun general manager Curt Miller said in an interview. “I’ll always have a piece of my heart in that organization, and it will play out how it was meant to be played out.”
It remains unclear if the WNBA’s Board of Governors will ultimately approve any of the deals, as neither city participated in this last bidding round for an expansion team. The list of eight cities that were rejected included Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Houston.
The Sun, the first and only pro sports team owned by a Native American tribe, have been exploring a sale since this spring as the franchise has dealt with criticism about its rural location and the parent company’s lack of investment in player amenities.
The last WNBA control sale was four years ago when real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought the Atlanta Dream for between $7 million and $10 million. A year earlier, Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis paid roughly $2 million for the Las Vegas Aces.