The Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association ratified the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement Monday, calling it “transformational” and “bigger than basketball.”
The new CBA begins this season and runs through 2032.
When asked her opinion of the most important outcome from the deal, WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike had two words: “Bank accounts.”
“Being able to have your worth tied mostly in your salary is all that we’ve been fighting for, and it’s what we were able to achieve,” Ogwumike told CNBC Sport in an interview.
The deal increases the average player salary to $583,000 in 2026 with the potential to increase to more than $1 million by 2032. The maximum salary for players will now be $1.4 million in 2026 and could grow to more than $2.4 million by 2032, based on current WNBA financial projections.
Ogwumike acknowledged the salary increases may change players’ plans for how they spend their off-seasons.
The average WNBA salary was $120,000 in 2025, spurring many players to play abroad or in other leagues, such as 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, for extra money.
“Prioritizing where you want to play is going to look a lot different now that we’ve been able to negotiate a structure, a salary structure, that is tied to the revenue of the business,” Ogwumike said.
Several WNBA players, including five-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier, have expressed a loss of confidence in WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in recent months, criticizing her empathy and communication with players. Ogwumike expressed optimism that players will be able to work in tandem with Engelbert under the new CBA structure.
“I told her that we’re standing here with you, Cathy,” Ogwumike said. “We were able to come to this deal and go through the process of this deal, however bumpy or smooth it was, we got here. It’s important for her to understand that we as players are at the table with her and all WNBA leadership to have achieved something that’s incredibly historical. So, I feel like there probably isn’t a better way to represent us settling our differences and moving forward in a league that we all care about then by signing this deal.”
Watch CNBC Sport’s full interview with WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike.
— CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this report.
