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For the first time in history, the WNBA generated enough revenue in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing with its players, union leadership told ESPN on Sunday. Union leaders reported the league notified player leadership earlier this month that they hit the benchmark. The 13 teams will receive a total of $8 million from the league to disperse among players, the union reported.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association declined to provide bank statements, the amount of revenue generated by the league or the number required to trigger the revenue sharing. The WNBA declined to comment on the payments on Monday.
The revenue targets in the 2020 CBA were based on 2019 revenue numbers and compounded by 20% across subsequent years. The COVID-19 pandemic depressed revenue in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, seemingly making the cumulative targets out of reach.
The announcement by the union comes amid contentious negotiations between the league and players for a new CBA. Revenue sharing and salary continue to be sticking points.
“This shows our value and how what we’re fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting,” WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner told ESPN.
Under the 2020 CBA, players would receive 50% of shared revenue — defined in the CBA as the amount of revenue over a predetermined threshold minus 30% for expenses. In 2025, the players’ portion of shared revenue amounted to about $16 million, according to the union. Of that, $8 million will be paid to players who were active in 2025, the union reported. As mandated by the CBA, the other half ($8 million) will be allocated to league marketing agreements, which are offseason initiatives offered to some players to promote the league and its partners.
The union and the league have repeatedly declined to specify the amount of revenue needed to trigger the sharing. According to the CBA, the union has 30 days to present its proposed payment structure to the league. Union leaders reported they expect to submit their proposal within the next two weeks. The league’s payment is due 60 days after it issued its report to the union, according to the CBA.
Union leaders also reported on Sunday that they will be divvying up $9.25 million to players from licensing revenue generated since 2020 from jersey sales, trading cards, video games and other merchandise. The union expects to share that money by June 1.
“I’m just hopeful that this distribution gives them a little bit of comfort and a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN.
Those payments will be determined by years played from 2020-2025, with a maximum of $50,000 to players who were active in each season. More than 250 players are expected to receive payments, including players who have retired or been released.
The union previously dispersed $280,000 in licensing revenue to players who played during the 2016-2019 seasons, with a maximum of $1,600 per player.
The union began pursuing group licensing in 2018, at the direction of outgoing player leadership. According to the union, the WNBPA generated over $2.5 million in revenue from group licenses in 2024, and revenue topped $10 million in 2025. The union utilizes a portion of revenue for operating expenses.
“We’ve grown as a union and put our name, image and likeness into a collective package,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike reported to ESPN. “The union exists for us to be able to represent all players, so I think it’s a great way for all players to be able to share in the growth.”
Negotiations over a new CBA, which would begin in the 2026 season, are ongoing. The recent players’ proposal would give the players 27.5% of gross revenue over the course of the agreement along with a salary cap less than $9.5 million in Year 1, while the league’s recent proposal would give the players 70% of net revenue over the lifetime of the deal and a $5.65 million salary cap in Year 1.
The players gave the executive committee the authorization to call a strike in December.
“Players do not want to strike, nobody wants a work stoppage,” Ogwumike reported. “But at the end of the day, we do have to be ready. So as we continue to [negotiate], us being ready is imperative. It’s fair to say that part of [this] announcement is us being ready and displaying that we are ready.”
The 2026 WNBA season is scheduled to start on May 8, but the sides need to agree on a CBA first. Even after that, there are still multiple steps to complete before the season can begin: an expansion draft for the Portland and Toronto franchises beginning play this season, the largest free agency in league history, and the traditional rookie draft and training camps.
“Often, things tend to get done at the 11th hour,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver reported at his annual news conference at NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 14. “We’re getting awfully close to the 11th hour when it comes to bargaining.”
ESPN writer Alexa Phillipou contributed to this report.
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