The WNBA’s revolutionary CBA changes the game for women’s sports

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates as she receives the MVP trophy after defeating the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 to win the WNBA Championship in a four-game sweep in Game Four of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It took a year of negotiations, two deadline extensions, and an eight-night-long negotiation marathon that logged over 100 hours of discussions.

Finally, a deal: in the early hours of Wednesday, the WNBA and its players’ union, the WNBPA, announced that they had come to terms on an agreement for a new collective bargaining agreement. In other words, the WNBA would indeed be moving forward with its 30th season this summer. There was concern about the idea of extensive negotiations this offseason from the second the Las Vegas Aces lifted the 2025 WNBA Championship.

The expiration of the former CBA came at a very intense time in WNBA history — not only has the league seen monumental growth in viewership, attendance, and overall interest, but two new expansion teams are on their way into the league. The players knew how much leverage they had on their side, as the WNBA has become a hot commodity in recent years. They were confident they deserved a significant pay raise, along with other key benefits.

The WNBA, on the other hand, stressed the importance of the new deal being one that would preserve the financial health of the league. They were pretty far apart on their visions of what a new CBA would look like. There was a lot at risk — the idea that negotiations could turn sour and lead to a strike or work stoppage was ever-present.