The Women's National Basketball Association has put forward a groundbreaking collective bargaining proposal that could see top players earning more than £880,000 annually in what represents a potential watershed moment for professional women's sports.
Revolutionary Financial Terms
According to sources familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, the WNBA's latest offer includes a revenue-sharing scheme that would allow multiple players per team to earn maximum salaries exceeding $1.1 million (£880,000), with these figures increasing annually throughout the agreement.
The proposal, presented to the board this week, would establish a new league minimum salary of over $220,000 (£176,000) with an average salary surpassing $460,000 (£368,000). These substantial increases would immediately benefit more than 180 players in the first year of the deal and continue growing over the length of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Timeline and Tensions
The current CBA was originally set to expire on October 31st, but both the league and players' union agreed to extend negotiations until November 30th to allow more time to reach what could be a revolutionary agreement for player compensation.
Players exercised their right to opt out of the current CBA last year, seeking improved revenue sharing, higher salaries, enhanced benefits and a more flexible salary cap. This follows the pattern from 2019 when the previous CBA expired, leading to a 60-day extension before final ratification in January 2020.
However, negotiations have been complicated by public criticism from union vice president Napheesa Collier, who delivered a blistering assessment of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert following her Minnesota team's playoff elimination.
Collier's Explosive Allegations
In what became an explosive press conference, Collier claimed Engelbert suggested rising star Caitlin Clark should be "grateful" for her $60 million off-court earnings rather than question her rookie contract terms.
"I asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years," Collier recalled. "Her response was, 'Caitlin should be grateful she makes $60 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything.'"
The five-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year, who helped launch the Unrivaled three-on-three league, didn't hold back in her criticism of the WNBA's leadership, describing it as "the worst in the world" and "negligent" in handling CBA negotiations, media rights and officiating.
Commissioner's Response
Engelbert addressed Collier's accusations for the first time ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, firmly denying making belittling remarks about Clark while admitting she was "disheartened" by the player's comments.
"Obviously I did not make those comments," the commissioner insisted to reporters. "Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She's been a great representative of the game. She's brought in tens of millions of new fans to the game."
Despite the public friction, Engelbert had previously expressed optimism about reaching a transformative agreement, telling media in July: "I'm still really optimistic that we'll get something done that would be transformational." She had hoped that by the 2025 All-Star Game, discussions would focus on how successful the next CBA had become by the 2026 All-Star Game.
People familiar with the WNBA's proposal have described it as a highly lucrative package offering substantial increases over prior years, specifically designed to bring negotiations to a swift conclusion. Whether this financial offer will be enough to satisfy player demands and repair relationship fractures remains the crucial question as the November 30th deadline approaches.
