The WNBA's CBA deadline is nearing, and players aren't backing down.

The league in the 2024 season saw a hit with 155% viewership growth. So players felt they deserved a bigger piece in 2025 of the efforts they helped create.​ This led to the players showing up in a "pay us what you owe us" outfit during the All-Star weekend.

Candace Parker recently joined Matt Barnes on "All The Smoke" and didn't hold back. She opened up about the WNBA's CBA talks. "People respect people with zeros at the end of their checks, like let's just be honest." She believes bigger paychecks are key to success for the league.

However, basketball analyst Rachel Demita pushed back hard against this reasoning. "I don't think adding more zeros at the end of their check is going to make people respect them," Demita stated, pointing out that "the respect is going to be earned from the product that is on the court".  

The analyst stressed that players should instead focus on concrete achievements. Which is exceptional on-court performance, increased viewership, and rising attendance numbers. Because that is the foundation for their salary demands. And the facts do the talking.

The 2025 season was the most-watched in WNBA history on ESPN, pulling 1.3 million viewers across 25 games. That's up 6% from an already massive 2024. Over 2.5 million fans showed up in person, crushing a 23-year attendance record. The Finals opener saw 1.9 million viewers.

Demita didn't stop at salaries she called out deeper issues hurting the league. Refereeing has been a mess. For example, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have openly voiced their frustration over inconsistent calls.

The issue boiled over during the 2025 playoffs, when officials missed a no-call that led to Napheesa Collier’s injury. Cheryl Reeve confronted the referees afterward, and the league fined her $15,000 and later suspended her.

Demita's point? These problems damage credibility way more than paychecks ever could. So as January 9 approaches, the tension between the WNBA and its players association remains palpable.

WNBA Revenue Gap Stalls Deal

The WNBA's latest proposal features a $5 million salary cap for 2026. Which is more than triple the current $1.5 million. Maximum salaries would start above $1.3 million and climb to nearly $2 million over the deal's life. While average salaries would jump from around $150,000 currently to over $530,000. 

So, eventually reaching $780,000. Minimum salaries would more than triple to over $225,000 in year one alone, compared to the 2025 minimum of just $66,079.​

But here's where things get messy. The union's pushing for 30-33 percent of gross revenue, starting at 29 percent and growing to 34 percent by the final year. The league countered with just 15 percent or over 50 percent of net revenue after expenses, which the players say isn't adequate.

The WNBPA's latest proposal included a $12.5 million salary cap (recently adjusted to $10.5 million), with max salaries at $2.5 million and average pay around $1 million. That's a massive gap from the league's numbers.​

With the January 9 deadline approaching, both sides need to bridge this revenue-sharing divide fast, or risk over all the momentum the league's built.

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu