WNBA avoids lockout
The WNBA and the players’ union reached a verbal agreement on a new CBA, ending lockout risk and keeping the 2026 season on schedule. The deal sets a $7 million salary cap, a $1.4 million supermax, and pins training-camp openers to April 19 with the season tipping off May 8. (sportico.com) (espn.com) (cbssports.com)
A formal term sheet is expected to be drafted in the next day or two, after which lawyers for both sides will complete paperwork before a player ratification vote and a Board of Governors approval vote. (usnews.com) The reported deal links player compensation to league revenue, with sources saying the average revenue-share across the life of the agreement will be roughly 20%. (espn.com) Media projections put the new leaguewide average salary near $600,000 and the minimum salary above $300,000, which would produce the WNBA’s first players earning seven-figure annual contracts. (espn.com) The agreement ends months of bargaining that began after players formally opted out of the prior CBA in October 2024 and followed a freeze on free agency earlier this year. (sports.yahoo.com) Coverage of the terms was driven by insiders including Shams Charania, and the league and union issued public statements through WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike. (espn.com) Sources described the package as a transformational uplift versus last season’s structure, noting the 2025 salary-cap framework was about $1.507 million and the 2025 supermax was roughly $249,244. (espn.ph)
