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The $7 million bombshell in new WNBA CBA agreement
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- The $7 million bombshell in new WNBA CBA agreement
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The WNBA and WNBPA have finally reached an agreement on a new CBA that will immediately increase players' pay, effective in the 2026 season.
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While there are many terms to the agreement, the biggest one is the increased salary cap. Teams operated under a $1.5 million salary cap in 2025, a number that will balloon to $7 million in 2026, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.
The new salary cap is nearly five times what it was in 2025. with supermax contracts beginning at $1.4 million. Minimum contracts will be above $300,000, while the average salary will be in the range of $600,000.
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale currently leads the league with a $725,952 contract, while nobody earns more per year than Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young 's $252,450 annual salary.
While the CBA is just a verbal agreement for now, the WNBA is set to pay its players on a revenue-share basis for the first time, ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported. WNPA president Nneka Ogwumike expects the update to also "raise the standard across facilities, staffing and support."
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The drawn-out negotiation finally concluded shortly after the WNBA and WNPA held a 12-hour meeting to close in on a new CBA. After the meeting, WNPA executive director Terri Jackson said the talks were going in the "right direction," and WBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert added that she hoped to reach a conclusion within the next week.
The CBA prevents a potential player holdout that could have delayed the 2026 season. Only a handful of players are currently under contract, despite being less than two months from opening night, with the majority waiting for the agreement to sign more lucrative deals.
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