The WNBA made enough money in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing for the first time in league history, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association told ESPN on Monday. The 13 teams that played last season will receive a total of $8 million to disperse to players.
It’s unclear how much revenue the league made last season or the amount needed to generate revenue sharing. The WNBPA did not disclose bank statements to ESPN, and the league declined to comment.
In addition, the WNBPA is set to disperse $9.25 million to players from revenue generated from licensing agreements for jersey sales, trading cards and video games, among other items, since 2020. Payments will be determined based on years played from 2020-2025, with a maximum of $50,000 for each player.
The news comes amid the ongoing labor battle between the league and the players, which has lasted for more than a year and is threatening to shorten or, in a worst-case scenario, cancel the 2026 WNBA season. With less than three months until the 2026 campaign is set to tip off on May 8, the two sides have still not agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement.
“This shows our value and how what we’re fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting,” WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner told ESPN.
Later on Monday, ESPN reported that the WNBA has set a key deadline in negotiations. The league has reportedly told players that terms for a new CBA should be agreed to by March 10 (15 days from Monday) in order to avoid impacting the schedule for the 2026 season. This is the first time either side has mentioned a date as a potential negotiating deadline.
“I’ve been through so many cycles of collective bargaining, and often things tend to get done at the 11th hour,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said a press conference on Feb. 14. “We’re getting awfully close to the 11th hour now when it comes to bargaining. We need to now move towards the next-level sense of urgency and not lose momentum in terms of the amazing amount of progress we’ve seen in women’s basketball.”
The revenue targets in the 2020 CBA (which officially expired in January) were based on numbers for the 2019 season and compounded 20% across the subsequent seasons, but the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020 season to 22 games and the 2021 season to 32 games. As a result, revenue sharing was thought to be extremely under the most recent CBA.
Per the 2020 CBA, players would receive 50% of shared revenue (amount of revenue over a pre-determeined threshold, minus 30% for expenses). In 2025, the players’ portion of the shared revenue was $16 million, the WNBPA told ESPN. Of that $16 million, $8 million will go to players who were active in 2025 and $8 million will be used for league marketing agreements.
Revenue sharing remains the biggest obstacle to a new CBA. The WNBPA is fighting for a share of gross revenue, while the league is still offering a share of net revenue — that is, the revenue remaining when league-specified operating expenses are removed from the pot.
The WNBPA’s most recent proposal would see the players receive an average of 27.5% of the gross revenue over the course of the agreement (with a $9.5 million salary cap in 2026), sources familiar with the negotiations confirmed to CBS Sports. The league’s most recent prosposal would offer the players 70% of net revenue over the course of the deal (with a $5.65 million salary cap in 2026).
Last month, the WNBA announced the full schedule for the 2026 season. Training camps are scheduled to begin on April 19, with preseason games to begin on April 25 and opening night set for May 8.
With just over two months until training camps are supposed to open, the two sides not only have to come to terms on a new CBA, but hold a double expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, and conduct the busiest free agency period in league history.
“Time is of the essence,” WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart told CBS Sports earlier this month. “I think that both sides are very aware that this has gone on way longer than it needed to. But hopefully we can really start to be hearing each other and they hear us on things that are non-negotiables.”
