CBA has major impact on players’ bank accounts
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association approved the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement Monday, calling it “transformative” and “bigger than basketball.”
The new CBA starts this season and will continue until 2032.
When asked for her opinion on the most important outcome of the deal, WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike had two words: “Bank accounts.”
“Being able to tie your value mostly to your salary is the one thing we fought for, and we were able to achieve that,” Ogwumike told CNBC Sport in an interview.
The deal increases the average player salary to $583,000 in 2026, with the potential to rise above $1 million by 2032. The players’ maximum salary is currently set to be $1.4 million in 2026 and could rise above $2.4 million by 2032, based on current WNBA financial projections.
Ogwumike acknowledged that salary increases could change players’ plans for how they spend their time in the offseason.
The average WNBA salary was $120,000 in 2025, which encouraged many players to play abroad or in other leagues, such as the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, for extra money.
“Prioritizing where you want to play is going to look very different now because we can agree on a structure, a salary structure, based on the revenue of the job,” Ogwumike said.
Many WNBA players, including five-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier, expressed loss of confidence WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert criticized her empathy and communication with players in recent months. Ogwumike expressed optimism that players will be able to work with Engelbert under the new CBA structure.
“I told her we were here for you, Cathy,” Ogwumike said. “We were able to reach this agreement and get through this agreement process, no matter how 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 of the WNBA leaders to accomplish something incredibly historic. So I think there’s probably no better way to represent our progress in a league that we all care about than by signing this agreement where we’ve resolved our differences.”
Watch CNBC Sport full interview With WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike.
— CNBC’s Jessica Gold contributed to this report.
