WNBPA Drops Bombshell Salary Demands as Staggering $12,500,000 Proposal Leaked Before Deadline

The deadline to agree on a new CBA between the WNBA and the WNBPA is fast approaching, but the two sides remain far apart. The gap between the two sides is because of different views on what the revenue-sharing model should be. One of the proposals from the union involved a $12.5 million salary cap.

According to ESPN's Alexa Philippou, a document from last month's negotiations showed that the WNBPA proposed a $12.5 million salary cap for the 2026 season. The league believes that it wasn't a financially sound figure because it would have huge consequences on the stability of the WNBA.

The proposal also included an average salary of $1 million, with the max set at $2.5 million. But due to the league's take on the proposal, the union lowered the salary cap to $10.5 million, with players receiving 30% of the gross revenue.

The only problem? The WNBA's estimated $700 million in losses throughout the length of the new CBA. It's unclear if the two sides could compromise and avoid a strike, but players have given the green light to WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike to approve a strike.

"We're looking for a good deal to get done, but I think we're also prepared for whatever it takes for that to happen, while also understanding that we want a 2026 season," Ogwumike told ESPN back in December. "We want to make sure that that season is the way that it can be best for us to put the product on the court and for that product to be valued."

Ogwumike added that players do not want a strike, but they are in favor of a work stoppage if it will help in getting their point across to the WNBA.

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What does the WNBPA strike mean for the 2026 season?

If the WNBPA opts for a strike, it would affect a lot of things for the 2026 WNBA season. The expansion draft for the two new teams, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, will be pushed back. The same thing goes for the WNBA Draft, which is usually scheduled right after the NCAA tournament.

The two sides have a lot of time from January to April to get closer to signing a CBA. However, the most pressing issue will be how free agency is going to happen if the negotiating window is small.

More than 100 players are expected to become free agents, so the landscape of the league could be changing.

Edited by Juan Paolo David