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<\/p>\nLast Updated:January 01, 2026, 19:37 IST<\/p>\n
WNBA and WNBPA face a major standoff over revenue sharing and salary caps, with strike threats looming as expansion approaches and negotiations remain unresolved.<\/p>\n
(Credit: X)<\/p>\n
The WNBA and its players are staring down a ticking clock \u2014 and a widening divide.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s National Basketball Players Association are nowhere near resolution, according to ESPN.<\/p>\n
In fact, both sides remain miles apart on several foundational issues, raising the real prospect of labour disruption.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the standoff is money \u2014 specifically, how it\u2019s defined, shared and accounted for.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The league\u2019s counterproposal paints a very different picture. The WNBA has offered players more than 50% of net revenue \u2014 revenue after expenses \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
But the definition of \u201crevenue,” and how expenses are calculated, remains a major sticking point \u2014 and trust between the two sides appears thin.<\/p>\n
That tension boiled over publicly in September when Minnesota Lynx star and WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier slammed commissioner Cathy Engelbert, accusing her of \u201cthe worst leadership in the world” and criticizing the league for prioritizing control over collaboration.<\/p>\n
By mid-December, the players escalated matters further. In a decisive vote with historic participation, WNBA players authorized union leadership \u2014 including president Nneka Ogwumike \u2014 to call a strike if necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players\u2019 decision is an unavoidable response to the state of negotiations,” the union said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
First Published:<\/p>\n
January 01, 2026, 19:35 IST<\/p>\n
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