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The WNBA’s 30th season is set to begin in less than two months. Marathon negotiations between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Association ended with a historic agreement on a collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday.
The two sides verbally agreed to a deal that would raise the teams’ salary cap to $7 million, ESPN reported. Last season’s salary cap was $1.5 million. Players will be eligible for supermax deals starting at $1.4 million in 2026, up from $249,244 in 2025.
Every WNBA player will earn at least $300,000 under the new CBA, sources told ESPN.
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A detail of the WNBA logo is seen on a basketball during warmups between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Diana Taurasi, an 11-time All-Star and three-time WNBA champion, reacted to the latest development. The former Phoenix Mercury guard said she thought the deal was a step in the right direction.
“The WNBA has come a long way in the last 30 years,” she told The Spun. “It’s a lot of hard work, grit, perseverance and determination. It’s just another milestone for women’s sports. It’s nice to see the WNBA in a better place than where you left it.”
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Details of the term sheet are still being finalized. The next step is ratification by the players and the league’s board of governors.
Diana Taurasi speaks during a press conference at the Phoenix Mercury Practice Facility on March 13, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Taurasi announced her retirement after a 20-year career in the WNBA. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Taurasi’s sentiments echoed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s position on what she described as a historic deal.
“The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for the players and the league,” Engelbert told reporters shortly after the deal was reached Wednesday morning, “and underscores a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game.
“It is [been] a process, but we’re very proud to be a leader in women’s sports, and these players are incredible, and we’re going to have an incredible 30th season starting in May.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a news conference before the WNBA All-Star basketball game July 19, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Seattle Storm forward and WNBPA Executive Committee Chair Nneka Ogwumike, who participated in the extended negotiating sessions, praised the efforts that led to the new CBA.
“We’re really, really grateful to be able to come to an agreement,” Ogwumike said. “We’re proud of ourselves. And frankly, we always told you we were going to deliver on our commitments, and this is what it looks like.
Once the new CBA is finalized, it will mark the sixth agreement in WNBA history, with the previous one being reached in 2020. The full terms of the new agreement are expected to reflect the league’s recent increase in growth, viewership and overall popularity.
