The WNBA's latest proposal to the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) has been revealed, with time ticking on negotiations. The WNBPA obtained the WNBA's counterproposal on Friday night, which featured some marginal changes from the league's previous offer. While players are bargaining for 30 percent of gross revenue, the league is still offering around 70 percent of the net revenue share, which equates to roughly 15 percent of the gross league and team revenue share. The WNBA did propose a salary cap increase to $5.65 million in 2026, sources with knowledge of the situation said, though that’s still far below the $10.5 million salary cap the WNBPA proposed. The league also outlined clearer policies to ensure housing would be covered for certain cohorts of players. Under the league’s latest proposal, team-funded studios would be provided for each of the two new developmental players. First-year players and players on minimum contracts would also be provided one-bedroom apartments, sources said. The ball is now in the union’s court to determine how to proceed. Players voted in December to allow the WNBPA to call a strike ‘when necessary.’ The WNBA has not had a work stoppage in league history, and the vote is only one step in the multiphase process. And while neither side wants to delay the start of next season, it appears players are willing to hold out to get what they believe they deserve, even if it means temporarily shutting down the league. But here's where it gets controversial... The WNBA’s initial revenue share model didn’t include team revenue, but the league has included that in recent proposals. The players’ union started outside the stadium, while the WNBA started with a more prudent proposal that would have put them around the 40-yard line. This has led to a feeling amongst some that the players have conceded more than the league. The WNBPA president, Nneka Ogwumike, and other members of the union’s executive committee attended an in-person meeting with league officials on Monday in hopes of getting the ball rolling again. The league officials spent part of the three-hour meeting sharing slides that detail some of the improvements and benefits the league had already agreed to offer in the new deal. Some of those proposed changes included a supermax base salary of $1.1 million in 2026 that could swell to $1.8 million by 2030. The average base salary for the upcoming season is projected to jump to $465,000 — up from roughly $102,000 in 2025. Other proposed improvements from the league include more guaranteed contracts, two developmental player spots per team, increased performance bonuses, and the introduction of salary cap exceptions for pregnant players and those who suffer season-ending injury, among other items. And this is the part most people miss... The WNBA’s counterproposal did not feature a significant update on the revenue-share front, according to multiple sources. The league has included team revenue in recent proposals, but the WNBPA has not yet agreed to this. The WNBPA has also not yet agreed to the league’s proposal to codify team facilities. The ball is now in the union’s court to determine how to proceed. The players have more leverage than ever before in this round of CBA negotiations, so it’s no surprise that they aimed high from the jump. But as negotiations have continued on, there’s a feeling amongst some that the players have conceded more than the league. The WNBPA president, Nneka Ogwumike, and other members of the union’s executive committee attended an in-person meeting with league officials on Monday in hopes of getting the ball rolling again. The league officials spent part of the three-hour meeting sharing slides that detail some of the improvements and benefits the league had already agreed to offer in the new deal. The WNBPA has voted to allow a strike, but the exact details of the strike and how it will proceed are still unclear. The WNBA has not had a work stoppage in league history, and the vote is only one step in the multiphase process. The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. The negotiations have been grueling, in part, because both sides’ initial proposals started far apart from one another. The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. The players have more leverage than ever before in this round of CBA negotiations, so it’s no surprise that they aimed high from the jump. But as negotiations have continued on, there’s a feeling amongst some that the players have conceded more than the league. The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. And this is the part most people miss... The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. The players have more leverage than ever before in this round of CBA negotiations, so it’s no surprise that they aimed high from the jump. But as negotiations have continued on, there’s a feeling amongst some that the players have conceded more than the league. The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. And this is the part most people miss... The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. The players have more leverage than ever before in this round of CBA negotiations, so it’s no surprise that they aimed high from the jump. But as negotiations have continued on, there’s a feeling amongst some that the players have conceded more than the league. The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. And this is the part most people miss... The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable. The players have more leverage than ever before in this round of CBA negotiations, so it’s no surprise that they aimed high from the jump. But as negotiations have continued on, there’s a feeling amongst some that the players have conceded more than the league. The WNBPA has until the next two weeks to agree to a new deal, or a delay to the season would be all but inevitable.
