The WNBA and its players union signed the final long-form version of their new collective bargaining agreement on Friday, bringing a formal close to a negotiation process that stretched across months and threatened to delay the 2026 season.
According to Yahoo Sports, the agreement runs through 2032, with an opt-out clause after 2031. It was announced two weeks after the season began and roughly two months after both the WNBA board of governors and the players ratified the deal's terms.
Player compensation was the central issue throughout the process. Under the new agreement, the minimum player salary jumped from roughly $66,000 in 2025 to $270,000 this year. The maximum salary grew from $249,000 to $1.4 million. The salary cap expanded from $1.5 million to $7 million. Both the maximum salary and cap figures are set to grow further in coming years depending on league revenue.
The stakes were high heading into negotiations. The WNBA has seen its revenue grow sharply, driven in large part by a new television deal. Players had been publicly vocal about deserving a larger share, and many observers expected a work stoppage. A strike authorization vote created visible tension within the players' side during the process.
The league and union missed an initial deadline last year before slowly exchanging proposals. Despite the friction, they reached an agreement in time to avoid disrupting the season. The long-form document, considered a formality after ratification, was still being completed as the league ran through its entire offseason in April and into the opening weeks of play.
ESPN also confirmed the signing Friday, reporting that the WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association had completed and signed the final version of the agreement.
The deal does not affect the current season's schedule, which is already underway.
