WNBA Faces Potential Lockout as CBA Disputes Intensify Ahead of New Season

BY: MIKIYA GREENE / STAFF WRITER

WNBA All-Star 2025: Players take court in warm-up shirts reading 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' amid CBA talks (Photo via Yahoo Sports)

The WNBA’s exponential rise in popularity has reshaped both the league’s public image and its financial realities, with the latter negatively affecting the people responsible for the league’s recent success. As revenues, media coverage, and fan engagement have soared, players are demanding compensation that reflects the league’s rapid growth. With collective bargaining negotiations now at a standstill, the outcome could determine not only the start of the 2026 season but the season in its entirety. 

Prior to the current CBA disagreements, the most recent CBA was originally signed in 2020, marking a turning point for the league. The contract dramatically improved salaries, maternity benefits, travel standards, and overall player compensation. Despite these positive changes, the league has experienced a record-breaking surge in popularity — driven by record attendance, higher TV ratings, expansion plans, and increased sponsorship revenue — and has shifted the bargaining landscape. 

With the league’s national exposure growing rapidly, many players argue that compensation should more closely reflect that financial growth. Players are now pushing for a larger share of league revenues, higher maximum salaries, improved revenue-sharing models tied to media rights deals, and stronger long-term benefits. 

In October 2024, the WNBPA chose to opt out of the 2020 CBA, which was supposed to last until 2027. However, opting out of the current agreement meant that the league and the Players’ Association would have to come up with a new agreement before the deadline, which was then moved up to October 31, 2025. Both sides agreed to extend this deadline to November 30, 2025, in hopes of continuing talks and negotiations.

There was another extension deadline to January 9, and after this, discussions kept resuming. The women of the W have taken action not just on the court, but off the court as well to fight for their stance.  As the  players grew frustrated by the lack of movement in negotiations last summer, the union decided to take a public stance, and did so by wearing “Pay Us What You Owe Us” t-shirts at the All-Star Game in July, in addition to holding signs with the same blunt message while the game’s awards were given. 

Union Vice President Napheesa Collier called out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert during her end-of-season press conference in October 2025, saying, “We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now we have the worst leadership in the world.

Photo Credit: WNBPA.com/leadership 

So, what exactly are the players seeking in the new CBA? In simple terms, the WNBA players’ union is asking for more — more pay, more resources, and a greater share of the league’s success. After several seasons of unprecedented growth and record visibility, the WNBPA is advocating for a revised revenue-sharing model, higher salaries and salary caps, and guaranteed team housing.

Nevertheless, Cathy Engelbert, league staff, legal counsel, and team owners and executives have held firm on its offer of over 70% of net revenue after expenses for the players, amounting to less than 15% of gross revenue, meaning the players won’t have a favorable amount of money leftover for themselves to share. The league has also released statements in reaction to deals proposed by the WNBPA, calling them “unrealistic” and would cause teams more harm than good.

Since the beginning of the year, negotiations have seen little tangible progress. Despite numerous meetings, proposals, and public statements, the two sides remain at an impasse, leaving the league in a difficult and uncertain position.

With the 2026 Drafts in April (one for graduating college players and the two expansion teams that the W announced would be making their debuts this summer) and the season supposedly revving up in May, the commencement of the season is at risk if the two parties cannot come to an agreement. Even further, there are a lot of things that the league needs to do before the season starts, should a new CBA be agreed upon.

From 2024 to the present, both sides have maintained their positions in negotiations. During this timespan, the WNBA has experienced significant growth in areas such as viewership, ownership investment, funding, merchandise sales, marketing exposure, and game attendance. As a result, players have argued that this growth should be reflected in compensation and revenue-sharing discussions. However, until an agreement is reached, the league’s 15 teams may face uncertainty regarding roster availability and the possibility of disruptions to the upcoming season.