WNBA, players union agree to 40-day extension on CBA

The WNBA and the WNBA Players Association have agreed to extend the current CBA until Jan. 9 as they look to continue negotiations on a new agreement, the league announced.

The agreement includes the option for either party to terminate the renewal with 48 hours' notice.

Both sides agreed to the extension shortly before the Sunday 11:59 pm ET deadline. The union offered a six-week extension after initially discussing a 24-hour extension, while the league insisted on one of 21 days, sources said.

“The WNBA and WNBPA continue to work on a new agreement,” the league said in a statement Sunday night.

Earlier last month, the union and league extended the original Oct. 31 deadline by 30 days.

Sunday's move comes as the two sides appear to have remained far apart amid negotiations, especially over defining wage structures and income distribution systems.

According to a Nov. 18 Associated Press report later confirmed by ESPN, the WNBA proposed a deal that included significant salary increases as well as a revenue-sharing component, with players being offered a maximum of more than $1.1 million and a minimum of more than $220,000. The league minimum salary in 2025 was $66,079, and the supermax was $249,244.

But the WNBPA and its players weren't moved by the proposal, sources told ESPN, because they didn't think it included a system in which the salary cap, and therefore player salaries, would rise sufficiently with the business – such as in the NBA, where the salary cap is directly determined by basketball-related income (BRI). Players no longer want a salary cap that they believe is arbitrary ($1,507,100 in 2025) and grows at a fixed rate (3% each year under the current Central Bank).

The current agreement also has a separate revenue-sharing provision that would provide direct payments to players if the league hits certain revenue goals (which has not happened yet, largely due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic).

Since the league's proposal leaked, the WNBA and union have sent updated proposals back and forth and met frequently, including Sunday. Other priorities players are pushing for include establishing minimum professional standards at facilities, codifying the league's charter travel program, and expanding retirement and maternity/family planning benefits.

The league said it wants to substantially increase player salaries and other expenses and incentivize owners to continue investing in running the business. The WNBA's rapid growth in recent years provides an opportunity for the business to move from being a loss-making operation to what the league hopes is building sustainable profitability.