WNBA Eyes $1.1M Max Salary in New CBA, Quadrupling Current Pay Ceiling

The WNBA is weighing its most ambitious pay overhaul yet as negotiations with the players’ union progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for next season.

According to a report by The Athletic, the league has floated a proposal that would raise the minimum player salary to more than $220,000, while the maximum could exceed $1.1 million—a dramatic jump from the current cap of roughly $250,000.

Sources told the outlet that league officials briefed the WNBA’s board of governors this week in New York, outlining salary structures that would also push the average player earnings beyond $460,000 annually. The figures are expected to rise incrementally over the length of the proposed deal. The offer surpasses an earlier framework that suggested a maximum salary near $850,000.

Negotiators from both sides are scheduled to meet again on Nov. 19, as the league recently extended the current CBA deadline to Nov. 30 to allow continued talks.

Before the original October expiration, WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier underscored that players are prioritizing two key issues: increased revenue sharing and revised salary architecture.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver, speaking in October on the Today show, acknowledged that significant pay increases are coming but argued the discussion should be based on “absolute numbers,” not revenue percentages, due to the vast financial gap between the NBA and WNBA.

Still, the disparity remains stark. According to MarketWatch, WNBA players receive just 9.3% of league-generated income, while NBA players earn roughly 50% of theirs.