WNBA and players union reach verbal agreement on new CBA terms

NEW YORK — After a long labor battle, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association reached a verbal agreement on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement early Wednesday morning, just 51 days before the end of the league’s 30th season.

“The progress made in these discussions represents a transformative step forward for the players and the league,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters shortly before 3 a.m. ET, underscoring a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game.

“It’s been an ongoing process, but we’re very proud to be a leader in women’s sports, and these players are amazing, and we’re going to have an amazing 30th season in May.”

Engelbert, WNBPA Executive Director Terry 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 a midtown Manhattan hotel, the same place where they began their 100-plus-hour marathon bargaining sessions a week ago.

“I think this can be summed up in two words: empowering players,” Jackson said. “Players come to the table and stand up to work and are reminded of the collective voice and what it means to be in a union and the power of that union.” “They never forgot that, and they took it, as they always do, to the next level.”

Both sides declined to share details of the agreement at this time. The official term sheet has yet to be finalized, and the agreement is awaiting ratification by the players as well as the WNBA Board of Governors.

This will be the sixth CBA in league history following deals in 1999, 2003, 2008, 2014 and 2020.

“We are really grateful that we were able to reach an agreement,” Ogwumike said. “We’re proud of ourselves. Quite frankly, we’ve always told you everything we’re going to bring to this business, and this is what it looks like.”

The agreement is expected to reflect the growing growth and popularity of the league, as viewership, attendance and investment have reached historic levels in the past few years. For the first time in WNBA history, the salary system is expected to be directly tied to revenue growth and players are expected to earn their first $1 million in the league.

“This deal will be transformative,” Stewart said. “He will build and help create a system where everyone gets exactly what they deserve and more, on and off the field. I’m so excited that we can tell our fans that we’re coming back.”

In an official statement, Ogwumike admitted that the revenue-sharing system of the deal would drive “accelerated” growth in the salary cap. Average compensation exceeds half a million dollars; Raise the professional standard through facilities, staffing and support; Strengths Housing, retirement and other benefits.

She told reporters that for the first time, players would join the league “and not have a feeling of inferiority.”

“We’re really grateful that we were able to reach an agreement. We’re proud of ourselves. Quite frankly, we’ve always told you everything we’re going to do, and this is what it looks like.”

WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike

“What we have just accomplished will change the lives of a lot of players,” Clark added. “Speaking from my experience, I think players like me will be the ones who will feel it the most, and that’s what I think we’re all very proud of, because that’s what we set out to do from the beginning, which is to make sure every player feels the change in the CBA, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Engelbert said the expanded negotiations avoided any impacts on the 2026 schedule. Training camp is scheduled to open April 19, followed by preseason games beginning April 25 and the start of the regular season on May 8.

The verbal agreement comes 17 months after the players walked away from their previous agreement and five months after the previous agreement expired, with talks often becoming contentious.

But after a week of intense personal bargaining, the two sides were finally able to share a moment of celebration together in the main conference hall, enjoying glasses of champagne as they toasted the present and the future.

Engelbert described the deal as a “fair win-win”, while Jackson added: “Kathy and her team have understood that player wins are league wins, and our success stories are shared success stories, period.”

“I really feel like a lot of what we were at the table for was for the next generation,” Ogwumike said. “When we look at the next 10 years, we will see that this will continue to drive us.”