Earlier in November, in the extended period for the CBA discussion, the players’ association made its demands clear to the WNBA. While the league came up with an improved offer, taking the salary from $1.1 million to $1.2 million and also increasing the salary cap for franchises, the players’ association is not happy with it.
The key to this demand is the NBA’s revenue-sharing, where the percentage is already high, and the model is also different from that of Women’s basketball. The NBA Players’ Association showed support for WNBPA, mentioning that the fight is for their value and impact both on and off the court.
WNBA-WNBPA Standoff Over Revenue-Sharing Continues
From the end of the 2024 season, the players’ association had been clear about their demands and focused more on the revenue-sharing model. They were earning 9.3% of the revenue, which was the lowest among all United States professional sports. While the players agreed not to expect a huge rise, they demanded a significant leap from the current percentage.
The 2020 CBA deal included a provision for revenue sharing, and the new proposal features an increased percentage with growth possibilities every season. But a mere 5% growth is not what the players’ association is looking for.
BREAKING: Sources told @TheAthletic the league’s salary structure proposal would result in players receiving less than 15% of total league revenue
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) December 3, 2025
That, plus NEWS on nearly 10 more proposal items, including a proposed DRAFT COMBINE (!)https://t.co/vxGEGocddu
In earlier proposals, an ESPN analyst broke down the real reason for rejection, which was the percentage in profits, and the issue seems to be continuing.
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It is important to note that the NBA and WNBA have similar infrastructure of arenas, coaches, trainers, and other support staff, with very different revenues, wherein the NBA players are making 49%.
Moreover, the NBA revenue sharing method includes payments on the BRI basis – basketball-related income, which includes merchandise sales and ticket sales. And the WNBA’s revenue-sharing method keeps that aspect away from the calculations. Apart from the commercial terms, the players’ association also has a few more demands.
Other Demands From WNBA Players’ Association
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike criticized the current offer and called it ‘no culture of trust’. This highlights the level of seriousness the players’ association is putting into the CBA. And they have a few more non-commercial demands from the league.
The WNBPA was clear about making the environment they work in suitable. In every CBA discussion, the WNBPA made progress on essential matters that improved the working environment. The retirement plans came in the 2020 WNBA CBA, which was missing from the earlier agreements.
Additional details from CBA negotiations, per sources:
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) December 3, 2025
– League has proposed a 10-14 percent share of total league revenue.
– Players oppose the core and reserved contract designations
– Players looking to shorten the length of rookie-scale contracts
– Players looking for…
Apart from the higher revenue-share percentage, the association seeks options for players to oppose the core and reserved contract designations, shortening the length of rookie-scale contracts, and the revised maternity leave rule for non-birthing parents. The demand also includes an improvement in retirement benefits from the last CBA.