Four months since the initial deadline for a new WNBA collective bargaining agreement, it seems as if the only thing the league and players\u2019 union can agree on is that they\u2019re running out of time.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 23, the league told players that a labor deal must be finalized March 10 to avoid disrupting the 2026 season from its scheduled May 8 opening night.<\/p>\n
Veteran Las Vegas Aces center Kiah Stokes reacted with a candid message.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe league refused to negotiate in good faith (for) the last 18 months,\u201d Stokes wrote on her Instagram story. \u201cNow tryna speed (expletive) up so we sign whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union and league are still at odds over the revenue sharing model, which has been the largest point of contention since negotiations began. The union wants a percentage of the gross revenue, while the league is offering a share of the net revenue.<\/p>\n
Stokes, who has won three championships with the Aces after being drafted 11th overall in 2015 by the New York Liberty, didn\u2019t expect the road to a new CBA to be so tumultuous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process has just been frustrating. We want to play, we don\u2019t want to strike if we don\u2019t have to,\u201d she told the Review-Journal. \u201cI really had full confidence last year that we would have had a deal by now. So the stalling is annoying, for a lack of a better word. I understand it\u2019s a business and everyone wants to turn a profit, but let\u2019s be fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Players were allotted a 50 percent share of the league\u2019s incremental revenue in the 2020 CBA agreement, which only included the revenue earned above the league\u2019s revenue target for that season \u2013 a number that has not been specifically disclosed. The salary cap was $1.5 million in 2025.<\/p>\n
The union\u2019s latest proposal reportedly included a percent of gross revenue that would average to about 26 percent over the course of the agreement, with a $9.5 million salary cap for 2026.<\/p>\n
The league has not moved from offering 70 percent of net revenue over the course of the deal, which it proposed to include a $5.65 million salary cap in 2026.<\/p>\n
Tight timeline<\/p>\n
The WNBA announced the 2026 schedule last month, a few weeks after negotiations required a second extension.<\/p>\n
Training camps would open April 19, with preseason starting April 25. Before that, the league needs to conduct its rookie draft and two expansion drafts for its incoming teams \u2014 the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.<\/p>\n
None of that can happen until the league responds to the union\u2019s latest proposal, which was sent Friday night and included that 26 percent revenue share number. That was a decrease from the 27.5 percent of gross revenue that was reportedly proposed in the WNBPA\u2019s Feb. 17 proposal.<\/p>\n
The union\u2019s most recent proposal also reportedly included concessions on housing, suggesting a model that would cover housing for all players and eventually phase out to exclude players making at least 80 percent of the max on multiyear or guaranteed deals.<\/p>\n
In Friday\u2019s proposal, the union removed the multiyear aspect and lowered the qualifying threshold to 75 percent of the max.<\/p>\n
Before those changes, the WNBA called the union\u2019s previous proposal \u201cunrealistic\u201d and said it would \u201ccause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses\u201d for teams.<\/p>\n
The league\u2019s latest proposal was sent Feb. 20. It was headlined by a proposed average player salary of $540,000 in 2026 \u2013 including revenue sharing \u2014 that would reach $780,000 by 2031. In 2025, the supermax was $249,000.<\/p>\n
To strike or not to strike<\/p>\n
The WNBPA had a meeting Feb. 24 that became contentious over how to move forward, according to Front Office Sports.<\/p>\n
A day before that meeting, ESPN reported that the union said the league generated enough revenue in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing under the 2020 CBA, and that $9.25 million from licensing revenue would be divvied to players in addition to the allotted revenue sharing payments.<\/p>\n
Although 93 percent of the WNBPA\u2019s members authorized the union\u2019s executive committee to call a strike \u201cwhen necessary\u201d in December, players reportedly clashed because they are no longer aligned on whether a strike should be on the table.<\/p>\n
The Review-Journal contacted agents and players, many of whom indicated that midlevel players aren\u2019t being well represented.<\/p>\n
One player said headlines regarding the negotiations \u201care always misleading,\u201d noting that an average $500,000 salary wouldn\u2019t benefit everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to stand together and do what\u2019s right for all players,\u201d one player said. \u201cThe last couple of CBAs haven\u2019t been kind to role players.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Thursday, ESPN reported that a group of nearly a dozen agents sent a letter to WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson asking for \u201ctransparency and coordinated communication\u201d about the CBA negotiations.<\/p>\n
The reported list of agents to sign the letter included Klutch Sports\u2019 Jade-Li English, who represents Aces stars A\u2019ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd.<\/p>\n
The agents of Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese also reportedly signed.<\/p>\n
Some of the agents not reported to have signed the letter included Marcus Crenshaw of the Fam Sports and Fabio Jardine of 1st pick Basketball Management, whose players make up nearly 50 percent of the league combined.<\/p>\n
One agent said they weren\u2019t even aware the letter was being sent, but acknowledged the validity of its message.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I see is what the media sees,\u201d the agent said. \u201cI hope something gets done. Things are so difficult because nobody\u2019s really budging. What do you do once no one budges?\u201d<\/p>\n