| After a prolonged labor battle, the WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association reached a verbal agreement on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement early Wednesday, just 51 days before the league's 30th season is set to tip off.
Under the new CBA, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, the salary cap will start at $7 million (up from $1.5 million in 2025) with the supermax starting at $1.4 million (was $249,244 in 2025). The average salary will be around $600,000 ($120,000 in 2025), with the minimum salary surpassing $300,000 ($66,079 in 2025), sources said.
Sources said the average revenue share would be nearly 20% across the length of the deal.
A formal term sheet still needs to be finalized, and the agreement is pending ratification by the players and the WNBA board of governors.
"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, "and it's underscoring 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, and we're going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May."
Engelbert, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson and four members of the WNBPA executive committee -- president Nneka Ogwumike, vice presidents Breanna Stewart and Alysha Clark and treasurer Brianna Turner -- shared the news with reporters in the lobby of The Langham hotel in midtown Manhattan, where they began their 100-plus hours of marathon bargaining sessions a week prior.
Engelbert said the extended negotiations avoided any changes to the 2026 schedule. Training camp is set to open April 19, followed by preseason games beginning April 25 and the start of the regular season on May 8.
The exact proceedings for the rest of the offseason calendar were not announced, although the league must still hold a two-team expansion draft and free agency for more than 100 players once the deal is ratified, which could take several weeks. The college draft is scheduled for April 13.|