CBA Extended: How WNBA Negotiations Could Shape the 2026 Season
With the WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement now expired, the league stands at a defining crossroads that could determine the fate of the 2026 season and temporarily threatens a lockout. Negotiations between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, WNBPA, have reached a turning point, with issues like revenue sharing, player rights, and league transparency. The WNBA has agreed to a 30-day extension to continue its discussion and find common ground on those key issues, though the league's operation for planning expansion for Portland and Toronto can continue. The league’s legal authority to operate under the old CBA remains in place during the extension period, but it is still uncertain how much progress they can realistically make in those 30 days.
At the center of the negotiations is the push for a new economic system that better assigns player compensation with league revenue. Players are advocating for a system similar to the NBA’s Basketball Related Income formula, which is around 50% of revenue to player salaries. Compared to the WNBA’s current system, which relies on fixed-rate increases that lag behind the league’s financial growth from sponsorships and broadcasting deals. Switching to a shared-revenue model would legally require more transparency since the league would need to disclose and verify how much it earns to the union. Players view this as a necessary step to ensuring that the rising profits will be translated into equitable pay and benefits. Legal experts say that while the current model is compliant with the labor laws, it’s difficult to defend the system as the league’s commercial success continues to grow.
Other than the financial issues, the union pushes for expanded maternity protections, retirement contributions, and adjustments to the prioritization rules that limit overseas play. The WNBPA argues that those policies disproportionately affect players who depend on international contracts, raising concerns about fairness and player autonomy. Veterans like A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray have been vocal about the need for player autonomy, stating how overseas opportunities have long sustained women’s basketball careers. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has drawn scrutiny with the way she has approached negotiations, with players expressing their frustrations over limited communication from league leadership.
Both parties now have a rare opportunity, regardless of the struggles it’s taking to get there, to revolutionize the new standards, not only for the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole. The 30-day extension is a temporary lifeline, not a resolution. If a deal is finalized, the league could enter 2026 stronger, more transparent, and more unified than ever. If not, the WNBA risks facing its most uncertain offseason to date.
