US EditionAs WNBA popularity soars, player salaries remain a big hurdle for the league to address
- Breanna Stewart, a WNBA star and union member, is entering a crucial third round of collective bargaining negotiations amid the league's rising popularity in 2025.
- The negotiations follow players opting out of the current CBA two years early to seek a fairer share of growing revenues fueled by new sponsorships and a $200 million annual media rights deal starting in 2026.
- While the league added more teams, roster spots, and charter flights, players still earn a small fraction of revenue, with star maximum salaries only recently raised from $117,500 in 2019 to about $240,000 today.
- Economics professor David Berri notes the WNBA generated about $200 million in 2023, but player salaries lag far behind the NBA’s, where minimum pay exceeds $1.1 million and revenue topped $11 billion last season.
- The ongoing talks present a key opportunity to boost WNBA player salaries toward a $1 million average and greater revenue shares, though potential game sit-outs highlight tensions over the league's enduring pay disparities.
34 Articles
34 Articles
The Daily Advance
As WNBA popularity soars, player salaries remain a big hurdle for the league to address
Breanna Stewart will start her ninth WNBA season in a few days. The New York Liberty All-Star and WNBA champ has been around the league long enough to watch her peers fight for visibility. She's seen only a small uptick…
Sun waive former All-Star G Diamond DeShields - Regional Media News
The Connecticut Sun waived former All-Star and WNBA champion Diamond DeShields on Thursday. The regular season tips off Friday, with the Sun opening at home against the Washington Mystics on Sunday. DeShields, 30, signed a one-year contract with Connecticut in February. She averaged 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32 games (10 starts) with the Chicago Sky in 2024. DeShields has career averages of 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 ass…
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