It’s official: the WNBA and the WNBPA have agreed upon a brand-new CBA, and it’s a massive win for players.
The WNBA’s new CBA is official, and here’s everything you need to know
The new CBA offers maximum salaries of $1.4 million, two developmental roster spots per team, and numerous other ground-breaking benefits.
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
The league officially shared the agreement’s key elements, and it’s transformative in more ways than one. Let’s take a look.
Let’s start with player compensation
The CBA creates the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in women’s professional sports history, which features an “unlimited upside for players as the league continues to grow.” The team’s salary cap will be set at $7.0 million in 2026, and is projected to be over $11 million by 2032 (for context, last year, teams’ salary caps were set at $1.5 million).
Next year’s maximum salary will be $1.4 million in 2026. By 2032, that number will rise to a projected $2.4 million. Average salaries will begin at $583,000 next season and are projected to rise to over $1 million by 2032. And, minimum salaries will begin at $270,000 to $300,000 (based on years of service), and rise to $340,000 to $380,000 by 2032. Existing rookie contracts will be amended.
The new CBA also offers a pathway to maximum contracts for star players on rookie deals — so high-performing players on rookie deals like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers can be compensated accordingly.
What other benefits will players be afforded?
Housing was reportedly a highly contentious point entering CBA negotiations. The WNBA will continue to offer league-provided housing for all players in 2026, 2027, and 2028. Then, in 2029 and 2030, players making less than $500,000 will be eligible for league housing.
Charter air travel was widespread last season, but is now codified.
And, while specifics weren’t offered up, the new CBA will include expanded first-class travel accommodations for players across league events, and new facility standards requiring teams to provide enhanced training and treatment resources (practice facilities have also been a major point of controversy in recent years).
Additionally, the new CBA requires significant increases in team contributions to player 401(k) retirement accounts and enhanced life insurance benefits totaling more than $700,000 per player. Players will also have expanded family planning benefits and expanded mental health coverage, including a mental health reimbursement.
One thoughtful touch included in the new CBA is a one-time recognition payment for WNBA veterans and retired players, based on years of service in the league. Players who are already retired will receive $100,000 (if they have 12+ years of service), $50,000 (for 8-11 years of service), and $30,000 (for 5-7 years of service). So, players who just missed out on the generational wealth that this new CBA offers are compensated, albeit
Teams will now have two developmental roster spots
Teams will still be required to carry 12 players on their roster, but now, there will also be two additional developmental roster spots per team that do not count against the salary cap. That means there will be 54 new roster spots next season (two new teams with 14 players each, and two new roster spots for each of the existing 13 teams).
Teams will have salary cap exceptions for season-ending injuries, as well as for pregnancy and childbirth. And, notably, teams will also need to get player consent before trading a pregnant player. (Remember Dearica Hamby’s trade from the Las Vegas Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks? That couldn’t happen under the new CBA).
And, more veteran players will have more autonomy during free agency. Starting in 2027, players with seven or more years of service cannot be designated as core players.
Additionally, all performance and award bonuses have increased — from WNBA championship bonuses, to end-of-season awards, to All-Star contest appearances.
That’s a lot of new provisions — and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert gushed about the outcome in an official press release.
“This Collective Bargaining Agreement represents a defining moment in the WNBA’s 30-year history and all of women’s professional sports,” Engelbert said. “Since its inception, the WNBA has been shaped by extraordinary athletes who believed in the league’s future. The agreement is a testament to that belief and to the tremendous progress we have achieved together.”
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