The WNBA and the Player’s Association have reportedly reached a verbal agreement on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday, marking the first significant progress in the two sides prolonged labour dispute.
“The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at nearly 3AM last night, “and it’s underscoring a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game.”
“It’s [been] a process, but we’re very proud to be leading in women’s sports, and these players are amazing, and we’re going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May.”
The league office, in partnership with WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson and 4 player representatives had been holed up at The Langham Hotel in New York for the better part of a week as they attempted to hammer out a new deal to salvage the 2026 WNBA season. A formal terms sheet needs to be ratified by both the WNBA board of governors and the Player’s Association, but reports indicate that both sides are confident the deal will get done.
“I think this can be summed up in two words: player empowerment … players coming to the table and standing on business and being reminded of the collective voice and of what it means to be in a union and the power of this union,” Jackson said. “They never forgot it, and they have taken it, like they always do, to the next level.”
If approved, this would be the 6th CBA in league history, with the latest version believed to be focused on revenue sharing which will help improve standards across league facilities, staffing, retirement, housing options and more.
“We’re just really grateful to be able to come to a deal,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said. “We’re proud of ourselves. And quite frankly, we always told you all we were going to stand on business, and that’s what this looks like.”
“For the first time player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars and raising the standard across facilities, staffing and support,”
The impetus to get a deal done was felt by both sides, as offseason planning had essentially ground to a halt as negotiations stalled. With training camps slated to open on April 19th, and the regular season scheduled to tip off on May 8th, the league will now need to operate at warp speed in order to keep their original timeline for the upcoming year.
The WNBA will need to hold their expansion draft for the new franchises in Toronto and Portland. They’ll also need to conduct the collegiate draft, which is scheduled for April 13th, and then there’s free agency which is going to be amongst the wildest periods in years as teams ink 100+ players to new deals under the new salary cap structure.
Engelbert called the deal “a fair win-win for all,” while Jackson added, “Cathy and her team understood that the players’ wins were the league’s wins and that our stories of success are shared stories of success, period.”
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.