WNBA, players union agree to 40-day extension on CBA

The WNBA and the WNBA Players Association have agreed to extend the current CBA through Jan. 9 as they continue negotiations for a new deal, the league announced Sunday night.

The agreement includes an option for either party to end the extension with 48 hours’ notice.

Both sides agreed to the extension shortly before the deadline at 11:59 pm ET on Sunday. Sources said that after initially discussing a 24-hour extension, the association proposed an extension of six weeks, while the league insisted on an extension of one day out of the 21 days.

“We expect concrete movement from the league within this window,” the union said in a statement.

The union and league had earlier extended the initial deadline of October 31 by 30 days last month.

“The WNBA and the WNBPA are continuing to work toward a new agreement,” the league said in a statement Sunday.

Sunday’s move comes as the two sides remain far apart in talks particularly over determining the pay structure and revenue sharing systems.

According to a November 18 report by the Associated Press, and later confirmed by ESPN, the WNBA had proposed a deal that included significant salary increases as well as a revenue sharing component, offering players a maximum of more than $1.1 million and a minimum of $220,000. The league’s minimum salary in 2025 was $66,079 and its supermax was $249,244.

But sources told ESPN that the WNBPA and its players were not impressed by the proposal, as they felt it did not create a system in which the salary cap, and thus player salary, would grow substantially with business – such as in the NBA, where the salary cap is set by direct basketball-related income (BRI). Players no longer want the salary cap, which, in their view, is chosen arbitrarily ($1,507,100 in 2025) and grows at a fixed rate (3% each year under the current CBA).

The current agreement also has a separate revenue sharing provision that pays players directly if the league achieves certain revenue targets (this has not happened yet, primarily due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Since the league’s proposal leaked, the WNBA and the union have repeatedly sent updated proposals and met repeatedly, including Sunday. Other priorities players are pushing include setting minimum professional standards at facilities, codifying the league’s charter travel program and expanding retirement and pregnancy/family planning benefits.

The league has said it wants to significantly increase player salaries and other cost commitments, as well as encourage owners to continue investing in business operations. The WNBA’s rapid growth in recent years provides an opportunity for the business to move from loss-making operations to, the league hopes, sustained profitability.