WNBA and Union Reach Landmark Labor Deal After Marathon Talks

After more than a year of tense negotiations and over 100 hours of marathon bargaining, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have finally reached a verbal agreement on a groundbreaking new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The deal, struck in the early hours of March 18, 2026, comes just 51 days before the league’s highly anticipated 30th season is set to tip off. Both sides announced the news in the lobby of The Langham hotel in midtown Manhattan, where they’d spent the last week locked in intense discussions. The moment was capped with a champagne toast, signaling not just relief but optimism about the league’s future.

“The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters shortly before 3 a.m. ET. “It underscores a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game. It’s been a process, but we’re very proud to be leading in women’s sports, and these players are amazing. We’re going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May.”

The agreement, which still needs to be formalized into a term sheet and ratified by both the players and the league’s Board of Governors, is poised to redefine what it means to be a professional in the WNBA. Sources from across the league confirmed that the 2026 salary cap will skyrocket to $7 million—more than four times the $1.5 million cap from 2025. The supermax salary will leap to $1.4 million, a dramatic increase from last year’s $249,244, while the average salary will hover around $600,000, up from $120,000. Even the minimum salary will surpass $300,000, a staggering jump from the previous $66,079. For the first time in league history, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, with players set to receive nearly 20% of gross revenue over the life of the deal.

“For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars, and raising the professional standard across facilities, staffing, and support,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said. “It strengthens housing and retirement, and expands resources for family planning and parental leave. It redefines what it means to be a professional in this league.”

The new CBA comes after months of stalemate and several extensions to the previous agreement, which was originally set to run through 2027. Players triggered an opt-out clause in October 2024, and as the 2025 season wound down, tensions flared. The WNBPA even authorized a strike, though players ultimately stopped short of walking out. Instead, both sides agreed to a period of status quo, maintaining the terms of the previous CBA while negotiations continued. The breakthrough finally arrived after eight days of nearly nonstop face-to-face sessions, with both league and union leaders—including Engelbert, Ogwumike, vice presidents Breanna Stewart and Alysha Clark, and executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson—present for the marathon talks.

“I think this can be summed up in two words: player empowerment,” Jackson said. “Players coming to the table and standing on business and being reminded of the collective voice and of what it means to be in a union and the power of this union. They never forgot it, and they have taken it, like they always do, to the next level.”

The agreement is set to have far-reaching implications beyond just salaries. Improved standards for facilities, staffing, and support will now be the norm, and the deal expands benefits for family planning and parental leave. Notably, eligibility for family planning benefits will now kick in after just two years of service, compared to eight years under the previous CBA. The new revenue-sharing model also means that as the league’s viewership, attendance, and investment continue to soar to historic levels, players will see direct benefits in their paychecks and working conditions.

Breanna Stewart, a key figure in the negotiations and WNBPA vice president, emphasized the transformational nature of the agreement. “This deal is going to be transformational,” Stewart said. “It’s going to build and help create a system where everybody is getting exactly what they deserve and more, from on the court and off the court aspects. Just excited that we can tell our fans that we’re going to be back.”

The deal also introduces significant changes to free agency and player movement. More players will be eligible for the supermax salary, including third-year rookies who have earned MVP or All-WNBA honors. Starting in 2027, the rules for the core designation—a mechanism that allowed teams to retain star players—will change, allowing players to become true unrestricted free agents earlier in their careers. “I really feel like a lot of what we were at the table for was for the next generation,” Ogwumike said. “When we consider the next 10 years, this is really going to continue to catapult us.”

Despite the contentious nature of negotiations, both sides were eager to celebrate the hard-won peace. Alysha Clark, who delivered an emotional toast after the deal was struck, reflected on the journey: “What we just accomplished is going to change the lives of so many players. And speaking from experience, players like me are going to be the ones that I think feel it the most, and that’s what I think we’re all super proud of, because that’s what we set out from the beginning, was making sure every player felt the change in the CBA, and that’s exactly what has happened.”

With the agreement in place, the league will now sprint through a packed offseason. The WNBA Draft is set for April 13, followed by training camps opening on April 19 and preseason games beginning April 25. The regular season will tip off on May 8, right on schedule. Before then, the league still needs to conduct a double expansion draft for the new teams in Toronto and Portland, as well as free agency for more than 100 players. Tentative timelines have the expansion draft running from April 1-6 and free agency from April 7-18, though those dates await final confirmation.

As the WNBA prepares for its milestone 30th season, the mood among players and league officials is one of cautious optimism and well-earned pride. “We’re just really grateful to be able to come to a deal. We’re proud of ourselves. And quite frankly, we always told you all we were going to stand on business, and that’s what this looks like,” Ogwumike said. With a historic new CBA in hand, the league and its athletes are poised to usher in a new era of growth, opportunity, and empowerment—on and off the court.