{"id":536296,"date":"2026-01-23T05:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/536296\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T05:21:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:21:11","slug":"wnba-2026-schedule-release-comes-without-progress-in-player-pay-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/536296\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA 2026 Schedule Release Comes Without Progress in Player Pay Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMonths into CBA<\/a> negotiations, WNBA<\/a> team and athlete union representatives agree on this: For the first time, women\u2019s basketball players\u2019 pay should be directly tied to the money their league earns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThen come the details. In them, the devils. From there, the debate.<\/p>\n

\n\tA month after the most recent proposal was shared, the sides disagree over both the type of formula that should be used to set compensation and the exact numbers to plug into it, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe latest offers have been framed as using (a) the teams\u2019 and league\u2019s gross revenue in the union\u2019s proposal or (b) their net revenue after expenses in the league\u2019s version, as the underlying measure, but in reality the proposals are more complicated than those labels suggest. And further details around how the money would be divided across everyone from maximum-salary stars to minimum-deal vets remain largely unsettled.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt this point, it\u2019s no longer hyperbole to say that the league\u2019s future hangs in the balance of those discussions. If discussions happen at all.<\/p>\n

\t\tHow to Slice a Growing Pie<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tEach league pays its players slightly differently. In the NFL, players get roughly half of \u201cAll Revenues,\u201d which isn\u2019t exactly\u00a0all\u00a0revenues<\/a>. In the NBA, the process of determining what qualifies as Basketball Related Income (BRI) and the players\u2019 share of it takes up 38 pages of the league\u2019s collective bargaining agreement.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe WNBA has now created its own proposed model. While its latest offer would give players the equivalent of 70% of net revenue based on current projections (rising from 65% to 80% over the course of the deal), that ratio isn\u2019t explicitly guaranteed. The league\u2019s formula doesn\u2019t ensure that owners make a profit, and teams would bear the brunt of revenue shortfalls or increased spending\u2014including costs outside of their control\u2014according to a source familiar with the proposal.\u00a0The deal would seemingly account for expenses as a percent of revenue, with the WNBA keeping roughly 70% of money earned to cover team and league operational costs and the other 30ish percent being split between players and owners.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur\u00a0priority is a deal\u00a0that significantly increases player salaries, enhances the overall player experience, and supports the long-term growth of the league for current and future generations of players and fans,\u201d the league said in a statement earlier this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAlternatively, the union has proposed players receiving roughly 30% of all team and league revenues, which would be simpler to administer if less sophisticated than other leagues\u2019 systems. Rather than deducting expenses, the 70% split remaining with the league would be used to cover costs. The union has also opened the possibility of non-salary benefits, such as travel and medical expenses, coming out of that 30% tabbed for athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPlayers are wary of a formula that is directly determined by expenses because of the possibility that expenses could be overstated without union oversight, according to a source familiar with the union\u2019s thinking, though the NBA does factor some costs into its formula.\u00a0They are also likely to push back against any proposal that looks to them more like profit-sharing rather than revenue-sharing, without the upside that an equity stake confers. WNBPA<\/a> executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson specifically spoke out against an earlier proposal that she said \u201cpays [the league] back first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe two offers remain far apart in projected salary figures\u2014though not as far apart as earlier suggestions. Over the course of the potential CBA, the union\u2019s proposal would likely see more than $700 million extra dollars flow to players compared to the league\u2019s latest offer.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn response to reporting that the WNBPA\u2019s proposal would lead to significant losses for the league, union president Nneka Ogwumike pointed ESPN to the expansion-fee payments the league has\u00a0received<\/a>\u00a0(which it does not count as typical revenue) as well as growing franchise valuations, though owners would have to sell at least part of their teams to realize those gains.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe league and teams saying that they\u2019re losing money is like saying their pockets are empty while you\u2019re also holding the keys to a brand-new Ferrari,\u201d Ogwumike said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe league sees those team values as contingent on building a sustainable business model, especially given franchises folding in the past. Players say the W is in a different place now; just look at its ratings and attendance figures. And around and around the debate goes. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn year one, the league\u2019s latest proposal would pay players an average of more than $530,000, assuming revenue-sharing payouts above the guaranteed salary cap figures meet expectations, while max-salary stars would see more than $1.3 million per year. That average is up from roughly $120,000 in 2025, when the max was near $250,000.\u00a0Prior league salary levels were pre-set in the CBA. The union proposal would have an expected mean salary of roughly $840,000 in 2026, with the percentage of league revenue going to players growing over the course of the deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond those initial numbers, both sides also have their eyes on the future. Whatever formula is agreed to this time around will become the starting point for the next set of negotiations. Hence the stakes. And the hesitancy to budge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tHoping for the Best, Preparing for Worse<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe final CBA negotiation deadline came and went on Jan. 9. The league is currently operating under a \u201cstatus-quo\u201d setup. Business efforts are ongoing, including some coordination with the union. But either side is now able to initiate a work stoppage. And with the calendar flipped to 2026, the potential of missed games has appeared on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\n\tLeague sources feel that their side has made significant concessions, leading to a strong proposal sent to players in December. While the league awaits movement from the union rather than directly counter the union\u2019s most recent proposal, also sent in December, those on the players\u2019 side have accused the WNBA of stalling, essentially using the possibility of missed games to get a better deal at the negotiating table.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the beginning of the process, union leaders have advised players on contingencies should talks drag on.\u00a0They expected negotiations to be lengthy, and told players that the league\u2019s \u201cplaybook\u201d would be to delay negotiations to pressure the players, a source familiar with the union\u2019s perspective said, but have still been disappointed by the progress made to this point.<\/p>\n

\n\tNew York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud recently discussed<\/a> the possibility of Unrivaled playing an additional season \u201cif need be\u201d, though the 3-on-3 league has not publicly shared its potential responses to a work stoppage affecting the WNBA. Currently, it features more than 50 players, but many more WNBA athletes would be left without somewhere to play if the existing Unrivaled teams were the only option this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAlongside frustration, some optimism still emanates from both camps. But even if a framework was agreed to today, a source familiar with the situation said, free agency\u2014which is set to include most of the league\u2019s top veterans\u2014likely wouldn\u2019t begin until March.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year, the draft was held April 14, training camp started April 27, and the season began on May 16. Do the math, and it appears that another month of back-and-forth could imperil the start of the 2026 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tA work stoppage has never led to the cancellation of WNBA games, but the league did near that brink in 2003. Then-NBA commissioner David Stern threatened to cancel the season if a deal was not reached by April 18 of that year. A CBA introducing free agency was hammered out around 3 a.m. on April 25 ahead of a rescheduled collegiate draft that same day. Games began just over a month later.\u00a0With league, team and player cooperation, an extremely condensed offseason could be put together once again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Wednesday, the WNBA released its 2026 schedule. All 15 teams\u2014including expansion franchises in Portland and Toronto\u2014are slated to play opening weekend games May 8-10 to tipoff the league\u2019s 30th\u00a0season. But just because there are now dates on the calendar doesn\u2019t guarantee there will be players on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe WNBA is nearing the point at which it would need to actively address the ramifications of missed games, according to someone familiar with the situation. As one person put it, the league is getting very close to that point. Meanwhile, the negotiating sides remain far apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n