Imagine being one of the best basketball players in the world: winning titles, breaking records, and being told, “Here’s your raise: $850,000.” It sounds like a lot, but for WNBA players, that number is a mirage: shiny from afar, hollow up close. That’s the harsh reality in the league today.

When the Las Vegas Aces recently completed a 4-0 sweep over the Phoenix Mercury, securing their third championship in four seasons, fans cheered, but behind the celebration, a tougher fight is brewing off the court. With the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire on October 31, 2025, negotiations are intense, and the latest proposal is revealing.

The league’s pay offer includes:

• Supermax of about $850K

• Veteran raises around $300K

That’s a leap from the current $249,000 supermax and $78,800 veteran minimum. Yet, even with a team salary cap at $1.5M in 2025, poised to tick up slightly in 2026, many players find these figures insulting. Especially in a league that’s now worth hundreds of millions and is about to see media rights skyrocket from $60M to over $200M next year. If the pie keeps growing, why does their slice stay so tiny?

Who gets the big bucks in WNBA?

To qualify for a supermax, players must:

• Extend their rookie contract or have at least five years of league experience.

• Be among the top performers, usually All-Stars or MVP candidates.

Players like Kelsey Mitchell, Jackie Young, Jewell Loyd, and Arike Ogunbowale qualify, but most of the league’s 144 players won’t see big gains. That’s why calls for systemic raises, lifting the floor, not just the ceiling, are growing louder.

Compare this with the major men’s leagues:

• NBA players get roughly 50% of league revenues

• NFL players get 48%

• NHL players get 50%

• Meanwhile, WNBA players receive just 9.3%

It’s no wonder that WNBPA vice president Nneka Ogwumike insists, “We’re not asking for more than what the men have. Ultimately, we want to be able to have exactly what we feel we’re worth. Not just for us, but for future women.” It’s a call for recognition that transcends dollars. But with the CBA deadline closing in, trust is more fragile than ever. So, what’s behind this growing trust crisis?

The Trust Crisis

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert promised, “If the players in the W don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better and I have to do better,” But for many players, words alone aren’t enough. Despite Engelbert’s impressive business credentials, small missteps like giving tiny MVP trophies or mispronouncing player names have left athletes feeling sidelined rather than celebrated. In a league that is rapidly growing, these gestures or lack thereof signal a deeper problem: a trust gap between leadership and players.

Communication, or the lack of it, is a major issue. Stars like DeWanna Bonner have publicly said they rarely hear from the commissioner about retirements, achievements, or personal milestones.  And when trust is hard to build, financial and ownership complexities only make matters worse.

Financial and ownership complexities only exacerbate the problem. Engelbert’s 2022 capital raise sold 16% of the league for $75M, implying a total valuation of $468M, a figure that now seems far too low. For context, the Unrivaled startup league was valued at $340M, the New York Liberty sold stakes for $450M, and expansion slots recently went for $250M each. Analysts now estimate the league’s true value in the billions. Meanwhile, the ownership structure: 42% NBA owners, 42% WNBA owners, 16% outside investors, with some holding multiple stakes, slows decision-making and complicates negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), leaving players frustrated. This frustration was most publicly expressed by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier.

Napheesa Collier openly criticized league leadership: “The real threat to our league isn’t money… It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.” She even canceled a scheduled meeting after feeling dismissed during talks about officiating and media rights deals. Financial contradictions add to the tension

The league reports operating losses of about $50M annually, yet revenues are rising sharply: $226M in 2024 and possibly $300M in 2025. The new media rights deal alone guarantees nearly $20M per year. Players, however, see little of this growth. Liz Cambage, for example, earns over $1M through OnlyFans—five times her top WNBA salary—highlighting the league’s limited earning potential. Historical frustrations linger as well, including the 2020 bubble season, when player activism around BLM and Say Her Name sometimes felt secondary to league priorities. So, why are players still hesitant to buy into this narrative?

Why WNBA players still aren’t buying it

WNBA players earn less than 10% of league revenue, compared to the NBA’s 50%. Transparency is a big demand. Players want real numbers, not optimistic talk, which is definitely lacking.

Other problems include:

• No guaranteed profit-sharing despite league growth

• Grueling travel schedules are wearing players down

• Wildly uneven team support and facilities. For example, the Las Vegas Aces have top-tier amenities, while the Atlanta Dream struggles with even basic resources. This creates an uneven experience for players.

And if we see, stars like Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier founded Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 women’s basketball league offering:

1. Higher average salaries ($220,000)
2. Equity ownership opportunities
3. Supportive benefits like childcare

It shows players want empowerment, not just raises. The message is clear: equality isn’t just about dollars, it’s about control. What does this mean for the league’s future?

The Big Picture: Optics vs. Ownership

The WNBA’s rapid rise promises new teams, record attendance, and big TV deals. Yet the league still claims it’s “not profitable.”

• Expansion plans target 18 teams by 2030, including Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.

• In 2024, attendance hit a 22-year high—2.35M fans, up 48%.

• A landmark 11-year, $2.2B media deal quadruples annual revenues to approximately $200M.

• USA Network will air 50+ games annually starting in 2026, joining Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBCUniversal.

Despite all this, teams still fly commercial, and rookies make under $80K annually. Average player pay in 2025: around $102,249, with top rookies near $92,469. The league income and sponsorships soar, but the portion players receive stubbornly stays low, fueling tension and a brewing crisis.

This brings us to the 2025 CBA, the league’s defining crossroad: Will the WNBA embrace revenue-sharing transparency like the NBA? Can it sustain growth and fairly pay its stars?

If leadership and players fail to align, a lockout isn’t out of the question—a tension-filled moment no one wants but might come. $850,000 is a headline-grabbing number, but if trust isn’t part of the deal, no one is truly cashing in. In the WNBA, value isn’t just about dollars—it’s about the respect and power to shape a future worthy of the game and its players.