Who are the WNBA labor agreement winners and losers?
Let’s get this out of the way first: The fact that the WNBA will complete a full season in 2026 is a win for everyone involved. The league has experienced so much growth over the past few years that, even as negotiations grew tense and sometimes stalled during collective bargaining, the WNBA could not afford a stoppage that risked halting this wave of momentum. The collective bargaining agreement , which was finally met by the players’ union and league early Wednesday morning, brings record players salaries and a revenue-sharing model that is tied to their pay.
The particulars of the CBA will naturally benefit some parties more than others. Until the full CBA is drafted, we don’t have a complete picture of how this document will affect the business of the WNBA. But we understand how transformative it is … and the ripple effects that will come from it.
Here is our first attempt to assess winners and losers from the 2026 CBA. Winners Nneka Ogwumike The WNBPA president has now presided over two labor negotiations that were immediately hailed as landmark victories for players. After the 2020 CBA raised the standard of player experience across the league, the 2026 deal delivered on compensation.
Ogwumike and the players association secured revenue sharing, albeit at a lower percentage than they may have hoped, and dramatically increased salaries for every player in the league, with the promise of significant increases throughout the life of the seven-year CBA. The average salary has gone up about five times from 2025 to 2026. Consider where the union was two weeks ago: Two of its vice presidents were publicly messaging that the league’s CBA offer was a good deal and privately expressing concern with union leadership.
Rather than let the solidarity splinter, Ogwumike got everyone in line and didn’t blink in the face of the league’s self-imposed deadlines. After a week of face-to-face meetings, she helped the union close a deal with a salary cap more than a million dollars higher than it was when the two sides arrived in New York. Being the president of the union is a challenging and thankless job.
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