WNBA Players Say Higher Salaries Should Be Top Priority of CBA Talks in Player Poll

WNBA players surveyed in a recent poll by The Athletic's Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant believe union representatives should focus on advocating for higher player salaries when negotiating the league's next CBA.

The current collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the WNBA Players' Association is set to expire in October 2025.

Out of 37 players surveyed in The Athletic's player poll, 27 players (70.3 percent) named "higher salaries" as the top bargaining priority during ongoing negotiations, according to Pickman and Merchant.

The majority of those respondents (25 players) are looking for a maximum league salary of $1 million or higher, according to Pickman and Merchant.

One anonymous player told Pickman and Merchant, “Raise salaries, as much as we can raise them.”

These players were surveyed between May 27 and July 13, according to Pickman and Merchant. Other top priorities named by respondents were more roster spots, minimum standards, more resources for families, pension and better revenue share.

ESPN's Kevin Pelton previously reported in May that "one team source said it's possible max salaries could reach $1 million."

WNBA salaries range from a minimum of just over $66,000 to a maximum salary of $249,244 on a supermax contract.

The WNBA salary cap is currently just over $1.5 million, so quadrupling the supermax could indicate a salary cap of somewhere between $4 and $5 million, Pelton noted.

The WNBA Player's Association announced last October that they would be opting out of the current CBA after the 2025 season.

The players' union and league do not appear to be near a conclusion, given a Tuesday report from The Associated Press' Doug Feinberg, in which WNBAPA representative Satou Sabally of the Phoenix Mercury said the union had received an offer from the WNBA "which was honestly a slap in the face."

WNBAPA president Nneka Ogwumike meanwhile told Feinberg, “It’s interesting that there’s a $250 million expansion fee, and there’s no openness to have that be reflected in revenue share that goes to the players, especially as we’re experiencing growth. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but we’re hoping we can get some clarity on that in Indiana.”

WNBA players currently receive between 20 to 25 percent of the league's "basketball-related income," according to Reuters' Angelica Medina.

NBA players take home about 50 percent of that pool of income, per Medina, but in a league with a more consolidated ownership structure.

WNBA owners currently control 42 percent of the league, with another 42 percent owned by the NBA in addition to 16 percent belonging to an investment group that bought in ahead of the 2022 season, according to Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen and Eben Novy-Williams.

The WNBA has seen income streams spike since that buy-in, including agreeing last July to a $2.2 billion broadcast deal worth six times the league's previous media agreement, per Badenhausen.

What percentage of that incoming money gets directed toward players could determine whether negotiations ultimately delay the 2026 WNBA season. Madeline Kenney recently reported for the New York Post that players are "bracing" for a potential work stoppage after the 2025 campaign.