By Angelica Medina
Nov 30 (Reuters) – The Women’s National Binquireetball 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 largeger 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 extconcludeed 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 receive 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, stated 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 receive 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 launched with their first CBA in 1970 and by 2011 had neobtainediated a 50-50 split of binquireetball-related income.
“Players are pushing for revenue-sharing arrangements similar to those in men’s professional leagues, rather than resolveed salary increases that don’t keep pace with the WNBA’s growth in media deals and team valuations,” Kelly stated. “The business is growing exponentially, yet they want the players salaries to increase at a resolveed 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 neobtainediating against the players’ union,” Kelly stated, noting that it builds neobtainediations far more difficult than simple two-party bargaining.
Rival leagues dangling eye-popping pay cheques further complicate matters. Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 binquireetball league which launched 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 binquireetball and is reportedly offering salaries up to $2 million. It has signed WNBA players union (WNBPA) president Nneka Ogwumike, along with large names like Alyssa Thomas and Sophie Cunningham.
“Do we know if these new leagues can sustain those salaries? We don’t becautilize they haven’t been around for multiple seasons. However it gives players leverage to state to the league: you’re not the only option,” Kelly added.
He recommconcludeed a hybrid model that maintains minimum and maximum salaries but includes guaranteed revenue-sharing percentages that grow with the business.
“Players see for clarity and the league necessarys to reveal them the long-term plan, the possibilities of how you receive to 50-50, even if it’s 20 years from now,” he stated.
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)
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