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The WNBA’s historic 30th season is scheduled to begin in less than two months. On Wednesday, marathon negotiations between the WNBA and the National Women’s Basketball Players Association ended with a historic agreement on a collective bargaining agreement.
The two sides verbally agreed to a deal that would increase the teams’ salary caps to $7 million, ESPN reported. Last season’s salary cap hit was $1.5 million. Players will be eligible for supermax offers starting at $1.4 million in 2026, up from $249,244 in 2025.
Each WNBA player will earn at least $300,000 under the new collective bargaining agreement, sources told ESPN.
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A detail of the WNBA logo is seen on a basketball during warmups between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Diana Taurasi, an 11-time All-Star and three-time WNBA champion, reacted to the latest development. The former Phoenix Mercury guard said she believes the deal is a step in the right direction.
“The WNBA has come a long way over the last 30 years,” she told The Spun. “There’s a lot of hard work, grit, perseverance and determination. This is just another milestone for women’s sports. It’s good to see the WNBA in a better place than where you left it.”
WNBA ALL-STAR GAME MESSAGE ON SALARY INCREASE ATTRACTS REACTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Term sheet details are still being finalized. The next step is ratification by the players and the league’s board of directors.
Diana Taurasi speaks during a press conference at the Phoenix Mercury Practice Facility on March 13, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Taurasi announced she would be retiring after a 20-year career in the WNBA. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Taurasi’s sentiments echoed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s stance on what she described as a historic agreement.
“The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step for the players and the league,” Engelbert told reporters shortly after the deal was finalized early Wednesday, “and underscores a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game.”
“Is [been] “It’s a process, but we’re very proud to be a leader in women’s sports, and these players are incredible, and we’re going to have an incredible 30th season starting in May.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a press conference before the WNBA All-Star basketball game on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Seattle Storm forward and WNBPA executive committee chair Nneka Ogwumike, who participated in the lengthy negotiating sessions, praised the efforts that led to the new collective bargaining agreement.
“We are very grateful to be able to reach an agreement,” Ogwumike said. “We’re proud of ourselves. And, frankly, we always told them we were going to stay strong in the business, and that’s what this looks like.
Once the new collective bargaining agreement is finalized, it will mark the sixth agreement in WNBA history, with the previous one being reached in 2020. The full terms of the new agreement are expected to reflect the league’s recent surge in growth, viewership and overall popularity.
