WNBA Collective Bargaining

[bballnut90]

Latest development is multiple players per team could rake in a max salary of 1.1 million per year. Whether or not the proposal will be accepted is a different story.

I’m not sure what current players deem as “fair” and I’m not an economist so I won’t offer a strong opinion about what is the right amount to pay, but if they settle on this figure, most star players will be netting a 4x salary increase which is pretty incredible.

Also worth noting, Unrivaled is paying players an average of $220,000 + equity for their short season, and other stars are opting for Project B in Saudi Arabia (worth a thread on its own) where salaries start at $2million per year + equity.

The earning potential is higher than ever for women’s basketball players. Love to see this after 30-40 years of players grinding and playing in remote locations overseas to get to this point.

 

[Bigboote]

I’d be shocked if the teams go from a 1.1M salary cap to several players making that much all at once. If the teams really are all losing money (nyuk nyuk), then they’ll all be losing more.

 

[DEpup]

I don't think it is enough. It should probably be around 10 times the current salaries.

 

[bballnut90]

Per this article, still no rev share offer which appears to be one of the top demands:


This proposal is going to test their resolve, however. The minimum salary would more than triple for players with 0-2 years of service and nearly triple for players with 3+ years of service. The regular maximum salary would more than quintuple and the average salary would more than quadruple.

2025	$66,079 (0-2 years) / 78,831 (3+ years)	$214,466	$102,249
WNBA's reported offer	$220,000+	$1,100,000+	$460,000+

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[oldhusky]

I’d be shocked if the teams go from a 1.1M salary cap to several players making that much all at once. If the teams really are all losing money (nyuk nyuk), then they’ll all be losing more.

Even going to one player max at what used to be a team salary cap is an amazing increase if they get it. With a huge increase in compensation, many more teams from expansion, and new leagues like Unrivaled and Plan B as alternatives during the W off-season, it is hard to imagine any sport having such a quantum leap in income opportunities.

But of course the opportunities for the players to now earn significant money while in college just adds even more to that. Even the players who are not quite WNBA level will benefit. First with more expansion teams there will be many more jobs available. Second they can make some money in school even if they can't play professionally, and third, I suspect there will be many more jobs available in foreign leagues for players a notch below WNBA level.

For years foreign leagues got the top US players to play to complement their meager W earnings. Now with alternatives like Unrivaled and plan B they don't have to. That is a real opportunity for the next tier of US players who may not be good enough for the W, but can still play professionally abroad, with more roster spots available there, since many of the US stars that used to go there, now have better options.

With the new WNBA contract, more teams from expansion, new alternative leagues, more next tier players playing for pay in Europe, and players now making NIL money in college, the change in opportunities and compensation for female basketball players over the last few years has been staggering and well deserved.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

This latest offer appears &2 not much different from the last offer &1. The wording of the leak implies that it is the WNBA that leaked it — par for the course for Engelbert.

&1 “And the share seems to be declining since the Media Rights Deal allocation is reportedly 6x the old one, whereas the fixed salaries in the latest proposals are reportedly 4x of the old one.”

&2 There was also revenue sharing in the old CBA, with absurd triggers not found in other sports. The salary structure being the same essentially means the latest proposal still has a hard salary cap (and not a soft salary cap).

 

[DEpup]

Oh yeah they probably leaked it. The wnba wants to sort of shame the players into accepting the deal if they can get the public to think those increases are really big. They want to distract from the fact that the current salaries were too low and womens basketball business has taken a big jump. I'm sticking with salaries should go up about 10X.

 

[GamecockFam]

Yeah, that looks like low balling to me.

 

[GamecockFam]

I just did some NBA comparisons based on revenue. The NBA makes about 55x the revenue of the W. NBA minimum salary is $1.27 million but they're max salaries go way higher. I just looked up the on-court salaries (excluding endorsements) and Steph Curry makes over $59.6 million. When doing that comparison, those numbers aren't all that bad. BUT, NBA players make much more money off endorsements, effectively doubling their salary, so if the WNBA doesn't want to increase rev shares, then salaries should be double or triple of what they are offering.

 

[bballnut90]

I just did some NBA comparisons based on revenue. The NBA makes about 55x the revenue of the W. NBA minimum salary is $1.27 million but they're max salaries go way higher. I just looked up the on-court salaries (excluding endorsements) and Steph Curry makes over $59.6 million. When doing that comparison, those numbers aren't all that bad. BUT, NBA players make much more money off endorsements, effectively doubling their salary, so if the WNBA doesn't want to increase rev shares, then salaries should be double or triple of what they are offering.

WNBA players can make money from endorsements too, though? I'm not sure how that's relevant when comparing it to NBA player earnings.

 

[bballnut90]

AP news is reporting that rev share is included in the latest proposal. The specific of that could vary greatly, but glad to see there is a revenue share component being added in.

WNBA's latest CBA proposal would put max salary over $1.1M with revenue sharing, AP source says

The WNBA’s latest collective bargaining proposal would include revenue sharing with a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million available to more than one player per team growing each year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

apnews.com

 

[GamecockFam]

WNBA players can make money from endorsements too, though? I'm not sure how that's relevant when comparing it to NBA player earnings.

I think rev shares is bundled in the NBA endorsement calculations. I'm not expert so I could be way off base.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

AP news is reporting that rev share is included in the latest proposal. The specific of that could vary greatly, but glad to see there is a revenue share component being added in.

WNBA's latest CBA proposal would put max salary over $1.1M with revenue sharing, AP source says

The WNBA’s latest collective bargaining proposal would include revenue sharing with a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million available to more than one player per team growing each year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

apnews.com

The nexthoops article explains the (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pairs that the WNBA and the players’ union prefer.

https://www./wnba/everything-to-know-about-the-wnba-revenue-sharing-debate/

[replace the ./wnba by DotthenexthoopsDotcom/wnba]

The last WNBA offer was a retread of the (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pair of the last CBA, with its ghastly (mouse) treadmill of targets, but with salary structure updated with higher (~4x) dollar amounts.

The players association wants the NBA’s (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pair.

The WNBA leak makes clear that the latest offer’s (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pair is not the NBA’s. It could entail the revenue sharing of the old CBA, or a less ghastly version.

 

[bballnut90]

The below article explains the (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pairs that the WNBA and the players’ union prefer.

https://www./wnba/everything-to-know-about-the-wnba-revenue-sharing-debate/

The last WNBA offer was a retread of the (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pair of the last CBA, with its ghastly (mouse) treadmill of targets, but with salary structure updated with higher (~4x) dollar amounts.

The players association wants the NBA’s (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pair.

The WNBA leak makes clear that the latest offer’s (revenue sharing, salary cap) policy pair is not the NBA’s. It could entail the revenue sharing of the old CBA, or a less ghastly version.

Thanks for this--is this the link you're referencing?

https://www./wnba/everything-to-know-about-the-wnba-revenue-sharing-debate/

I asked ChatGPT to break this article down further so I could understand it better, here's how they explained the old system vs the system the players want.
Option 1 is what the players want
Option 2 is the current set up
Option 3 explains how the new proposal could theoretically work if the players get the rev share system they wanted.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Thanks for this--is this the link you're referencing?

https://www./wnba/everything-to-know-about-the-wnba-revenue-sharing-debate/

I asked ChatGPT to break this article down further so I could understand it better, here's how they explained the old system vs the system the players want.
Option 1 is what the players want
Option 2 is the current set up
Option 3 explains how the new proposal could theoretically work if the players get the rev share system they wanted.
View attachment 113408

Use this search: everything to know about the revenue sharing debate - Google Search

The article is the explainer from thenexthoopsDotcom and was written by a contributor (Jacob Mox) to herhoopstats.

ChatGPT is getting creative with its Bullet 3. I see no article that supports the minutiae of the Bullet 3 revenue sharing. All recent articles only reference the same AP article. See this Google Search.

 

[cancontent]

Use this search: everything to know about the revenue sharing debate - Google Search

The article is the explainer from thenexthoopsDotcom and was written by a contributor (Jacob Mox) to herhoopstats.

ChatGPT is getting creative with its Bullet 3. I see no article that supports the minutiae of the Bullet 3 revenue sharing. All recent articles only reference the same AP article. See this Google Search.

I took the last option as a theoretical scenario as to how revenue sharing could work. Don't think it was to be taken as factual or something that has been reported.

 

[azfan]

If Adam Silver and the NBA ownership segment of the WNBA stand firm and refuse to adopt some form of revenue sharing it will have profound negative impacts on the WNBA and provide a definite stimulation for alternatives such as Unrivaled.

Very odd as silver is seen the positive impacts of revenue sharing in the NBA. I sure wonder what the rationale is as the NBA ownership that overlaps both leads look for my point of view be clear on the benefits specifically on valuation

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I took the last option as a theoretical scenario as to how revenue sharing could work. Don't think it was to be taken as factual or something that has been reported.

It is AI, so I am not dinging it for inaccuracy &1 just for laughs.

But I am making people aware, without outright saying it, just as DePup above vocalized it, that the WNBA is resorting to disinformation-laced &2 public pressure so the players’ union will be forced to come to a “yes”.

• Yes, there will be revenue sharing as the media leak proclaims. There is already &1. But it is not the NBA revenue sharing with a soft salary cap where the salary cap automatically adjusts. The revenue sharing could be the ghastly current one and the media leak would be true.
• And it turns out, the latest offer is essentially the same as the last offer in October with some tweaks preserving the old revenue sharing. So much for the offer being designed to bring negotiations to a quick conclusion.
• The players rejected the latest offer.
• “But sources told ESPN the players' union does not believe the league's proposal includes a system where the salary cap and player salaries sufficiently grow with the business, a longstanding demand of the players since they opted out of the current CBA in October 2024.”
• The players’ union provided their proposal binder way back in February 2025.

&1 AI’s “Option 1” is wrong because revenue sharing is not always “in-the-money”. The old CBA’s revenue sharing had mouse treadmill triggers — cumulative revenue must exceed cumulative targets (20% compounding) — before it is “in-the-money” and the payout is a teensy slice. And the payment mechanism is problematically inequitable as the thenexthoops article explains.

So AI’s “Option 3” as an example of “Option 1” is playing into the WNBA’s disinformation.

&2 Some other examples (not exhaustive) of WNBA spokesperson disinformation:

• That the revenue used in revenue sharing is uncapped. It is already. The WNBA used flowery language to describe the last offer which was basically laughable.
• That the players’ association hasn’t provided an economic analysis of their demands. Well, one needs the WNBA’s books for that.
• And accusing the players’ union of the misinformation it is unilaterally doing.

 

[TheFarmFan]

It is AI, so I am not dinging it for inaccuracy &1 just for laughs.

But I am making people aware, without outright saying it, just as DePup above vocalized it, that the WNBA is resorting to disinformation-laced &2 public pressure so the players’ union will be forced to come to a “yes”.

• Yes, there will be revenue sharing as the media leak proclaims. There is already &1. But it is not the NBA revenue sharing with a soft salary cap where the salary cap automatically adjusts. The revenue sharing could be the ghastly current one and the media leak would be true.
• And it turns out, the latest offer is essentially the same as the last offer in October with some tweaks preserving the old revenue sharing. So much for the offer being designed to bring negotiations to a quick conclusion.
• The players rejected the latest offer.
• “But sources told ESPN the players' union does not believe the league's proposal includes a system where the salary cap and player salaries sufficiently grow with the business, a longstanding demand of the players since they opted out of the current CBA in October 2024.”
• The players’ union provided their proposal binder way back in February 2025.

&1 AI’s “Option 1” is wrong because revenue sharing is not always “in-the-money”. The old CBA’s revenue sharing had mouse treadmill triggers — cumulative revenue must exceed cumulative targets (20% compounding) — before it is “in-the-money” and the payout is a teensy slice. And the payment mechanism is problematically inequitable as the thenexthoops article explains.

So AI’s “Option 3” as an example of “Option 1” is playing into the WNBA’s disinformation.

&2 Some other examples (not exhaustive) of WNBA spokesperson disinformation:

• That the revenue used in revenue sharing is uncapped. It is already. The WNBA used flowery language to describe the last offer which was basically laughable.
• That the players’ association hasn’t provided an economic analysis of their demands. Well, one needs the WNBA’s books for that.
• And accusing the players’ union of the misinformation it is unilaterally doing.

I think you lost me. I guess my human intelligence isn't advanced enough to follow this!

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I think you lost me. I guess my human intelligence isn't advanced enough to follow this!

TLDR:

• (A) AI’s Option 3 Revenue Sharing is the NBA’s.
• (B) The latest offer is basically the last offer with the same Revenue Sharing as the Old CBA;
• (C) The AP WNBA leak made it seem that it is an offer that one can’t refuse. See (B). The players association rejected it.
• (D) The WNBA leak is the latest in disinformation tactics.

 

[cancontent]

It is AI, so I am not dinging it for inaccuracy &1 just for laughs.

But I am making people aware, without outright saying it, just as DePup above vocalized it, that the WNBA is resorting to disinformation-laced &2 public pressure so the players’ union will be forced to come to a “yes”.

• Yes, there will be revenue sharing as the media leak proclaims. There is already &1. But it is not the NBA revenue sharing with a soft salary cap where the salary cap automatically adjusts. The revenue sharing could be the ghastly current one and the media leak would be true.
• And it turns out, the latest offer is essentially the same as the last offer in October with some tweaks preserving the old revenue sharing. So much for the offer being designed to bring negotiations to a quick conclusion.
• The players rejected the latest offer.
• “But sources told ESPN the players' union does not believe the league's proposal includes a system where the salary cap and player salaries sufficiently grow with the business, a longstanding demand of the players since they opted out of the current CBA in October 2024.”
• The players’ union provided their proposal binder way back in February 2025.

&1 AI’s “Option 1” is wrong because revenue sharing is not always “in-the-money”. The old CBA’s revenue sharing had mouse treadmill triggers — cumulative revenue must exceed cumulative targets (20% compounding) — before it is “in-the-money” and the payout is a teensy slice. And the payment mechanism is problematically inequitable as the thenexthoops article explains.

So AI’s “Option 3” as an example of “Option 1” is playing into the WNBA’s disinformation.

&2 Some other examples (not exhaustive) of WNBA spokesperson disinformation:

• That the revenue used in revenue sharing is uncapped. It is already. The WNBA used flowery language to describe the last offer which was basically laughable.
• That the players’ association hasn’t provided an economic analysis of their demands. Well, one needs the WNBA’s books for that.
• And accusing the players’ union of the misinformation it is unilaterally doing.

Most of us here are aware that:

1) AI has it glitches and biases, so information needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
2) That the WNBA hasn't been clear or forthright in their communication about what they're offering players.
3) That the NBA and WNBA are leaking information to provide a narrative for people to buy into.

Again, my interpretation of option 3 was that it was a response providing a hypothetical scenario. That's it. You see it as part of the WNBA/NBA negotiation games. Simply different perspectives.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Most of us here are aware that:

1) AI has it glitches and biases, so information needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
2) That the WNBA hasn't been clear or forthright in their communication about what they're offering players.
3) That the NBA and WNBA are leaking information to provide a narrative for people to buy into.

Again, my interpretation of option 3 was that it was a response providing a hypothetical scenario. That's it. You see it as part of the WNBA/NBA negotiation games. Simply different perspectives.

Some people are not aware of what the revenue sharing debate is. Even for someone as bballnut90 who is one of the more seasoned wbb observers, who had used ChatGPT.

Even if you yourself are aware, the target audience of my post is wider.