WNBA lockout looms with pay talks deadlocked

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By Angelica Medina

Nov 30 (Reuters) – The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is hurtling toward a potential lockout or strike with pay talks deadlocked ahead of Sunday’s deadline over the players’ push for a bigger share of the league’s explosive growth in revenue.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was due to expire on October 31, but has been extended to November 30. However, a deal appears increasingly unlikely, raising the prospect of a work stoppage that could disrupt the 2026 season.

“They’ll probably do another extension, yet if we get to the New Year without an agreement a strike becomes a realistic option,” Daniel Kelly II, an associate dean and professor at New York University who specializes in sports law, said in an interview on Wednesday.

“Historically, that has led to the best deal for players. For the NBA, the 50–50 deal came after the strike in 2011–12. It almost seems like you have to push to the edge to get the deal you want,” he added.

According to local media reports, the league has proposed increasing the maximum salary from $250,000 to $1.1 million, raising the average player salary to more than $460,000 and increasing the minimum salary to $220,000.

However, WNBA players want more than just salary increases. They believe they should follow the NBA’s path, which began with their first CBA in 1970 and by 2011 had negotiated a 50-50 split of basketball-related income.

“Players are pushing for revenue-sharing arrangements similar to those in men’s professional leagues, rather than fixed salary increases that don’t keep pace with the WNBA’s growth in media deals and team valuations,” Kelly said. “The business is growing exponentially, yet they want the players salaries to increase at a fixed amount.”

COMPLEX OWNERSHIP AND RIVAL LEAGUES ADD PRESSURE

The ownership structure adds a layer of complexity to the discussion. The NBA itself owns 42% of the WNBA, while team owners hold another 42% and a private equity group controls the remaining 16%.

“As the WNBA’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert represents three groups. She has multiple stakeholders to answer to in different capacities when negotiating against the players’ union,” Kelly said, noting that it makes negotiations far more difficult than simple two-party bargaining.

Rival leagues dangling eye-popping pay cheques further complicate matters. Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league which began its first season in January, reported an average salary of $222,222, which included amenities such as on-site childcare.

Even more threatening is Project B, which plans to launch next fall with men’s and women’s 5-on-5 basketball and is reportedly offering salaries up to $2 million. It has signed WNBA players union (WNBPA) president Nneka Ogwumike, along with big names like Alyssa Thomas and Sophie Cunningham.

“Do we know if these new leagues can sustain those salaries? We don’t because they haven’t been around for multiple seasons. However it gives players leverage to say to the league: you’re not the only option,” Kelly added.

He recommended a hybrid model that maintains minimum and maximum salaries but includes guaranteed revenue-sharing percentages that grow with the business.

“Players look for clarity and the league needs to show them the long-term plan, the possibilities of how you get to 50-50, even if it’s 20 years from now,” he said.

With the clock ticking toward Sunday’s deadline, both sides face a critical decision: compromise now, or risk a work stoppage that could undermine their hard-won momentum.

(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Sonali Paul)