Ever since players opted out of the current CBA last October, the league and the players have been stuck in what feels like a never-ending tug-of-war. Now we’re staring down the October 31st deadline. If no deal is finalized by then… well, a lockout might be on the cards. The players aren’t keeping quiet. Napheesa Collier already dropped a bomb, calling the league’s leadership the “worst leadership in the world.” And this time, it’s WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike making sure Cathy Engelbert gets a timely reminder of what the players truly need.

Speaking on the Birds Eye View podcast hosted by Sue Bird, Nneka was asked about the demands of the players, which Cathy Engelbert and the league have so far been reluctant to agree upon. She said, “I mean, the last CBA was the first agreement that we had seen that didn’t resemble all the ones before it. And it kind of gave us a stepping stone to where we want to go… We understand that we needed time to grow, which is what we came to terms with in the last CBA. But now the growth is here. The business is growing. And the only part of the business that doesn’t grow is that which represents the value of the players.”

The last CBA was groundbreaking in its own right. To reach an agreement, the WNBA even took a 60-day extension to negotiate with the players. Cathy Engelbert has hinted that a similar approach might be used this time, though nothing has been confirmed. Back in 2020, the league’s salary cap jumped a massive 30%–even higher than the NBA, where increases had been around 7% or less in recent years. Travel arrangements were also improved, giving players much-needed relief on the road.

And that wasn’t all. Total cash compensation also got a huge 53% boost to reward the league’s top talent–covering base pay, performance bonuses, prize pools for in-season competitions, and even a share of team marketing deals. But there was a catch. The deal introduced a new prioritization policy requiring players with at least three years of experience to report to training camp on time, or risk being suspended for the entire season. For many, that meant giving up offseason basketball and losing an important source of income.

Also, progress has a funny way of running into reality. Over time, those raises didn’t stretch as far as they once did–thanks to rising inflation. By 2025, the WNBA’s minimum salary was just $66,079 for players with two or fewer years of experience, and $78,831 for those with three or more. The regular max reached $214,466, while “supermax” players earned around $250,000. For a league growing as fast as the WNBA, that simply isn’t enough.

Ogwumike continued, “And so what we’re seeking simply is a salary structure that resembles the portion that the players get that grows with the business. That’s all that we’re really seeking right now. And we know that that deal can get done, and we look forward to seeing it through. But we also know that negotiations have to happen along the way.”

Currently, WNBA players earn around 9–10% of the league’s Basketball Related Income. By comparison, NBA players take home nearly 50% of their league’s BRI. That’s why the WNBPA is pushing for a revenue-sharing model that grows alongside the league, rather than sticking with a fixed percentage. With the WNBA set to bring in nearly $925 million from expansion team fees–and a projected $2.2 billion over the next 11 years via TV deal–it’s easy to see why the players are demanding a bigger piece of the pie.

Ogwumike also shared another reason why the players are demanding more money, and it’s worth paying attention to.

Nneka Ogwumike demands more transparency from the WNBA

According to the current CBA, as reported by WBB reporter Roberta on X, if the league exceeds its set revenue target in any season, players are supposed to receive 50% of that extra revenue. But Nneka Ogwumike confirmed that the league has never actually paid players this share, which directly means those targets have never been met.

“I feel like we’re operating on educated guesses. There’s still a lack of transparency that doesn’t let us really know,” the WNBPA President told Forbes. “We don’t have any clear information about how much money the league is actually making.”

But how is that even possible? Just look at the impact the league has had since Clark’s arrival, as the picture above shows. It’s hard to believe the league isn’t hitting its revenue targets. In fact, a Deloitte report released earlier this year projects the WNBA’s revenues will surpass $1 billion in 2025. So the question is–who’s telling the truth? Will the league really pull in a billion dollars after reportedly losing $40 million last season?

There are a lot of questions hanging in the air right now. But one thing is clear: if Nneka Ogwumike and Cathy Engelbert can’t reach an agreement, the WNBA could face a lockout—just like the NHL did in 1994, when play was halted for 103 days and 468 games were lost.