The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis isn’t remembered for any on-court performances but instead for a collective demonstration. During warmups, each All-Star donned black T-shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” The slogan referenced the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and the WNBA that the players then believed hadn’t yielded much progress.
It had to be a unanimous decision to wear the T-shirts. All 22 All-Stars were on board.
Solidarity has been a core principle among WNBA players well before these CBA talks. Still, like any labor negotiation, they face different realities. Some are millionaires thanks to their off-court endorsements. Others rely primarily on their on-court salaries from the WNBA — which in 2025 ranged from $66,079 (the minimum) to $249,244 (the supermax) — or other leagues. Some are on rookie deals, others are nearing retirement. There are parents, international players and soon-to-be WNBA draftees waiting in the wings.
And, in a more recent development for this round of negotiations, some players have equity in, or even co-founded, other professional leagues.
As the WNBPA and WNBA pursue what both sides have said will be a “transformational” CBA, what’s at stake for these various sets of interests, and how might those differences manifest in negotiations? Ahead of the new CBA deadline of Nov. 30, ESPN takes a look at the many perspectives among the players and the WNBPA, and how they might be impacted when a new agreement is ratified.
Later this week, we will explore the management side of the bargaining table.
Jackson became executive director in 2016 and is involved in her second CBA negotiations. She led the way in securing the 2020 agreement that had major steps forward for the players: significant salary increases, changes that led to more robust free agency movement and improvements for mothers and those on parental leave.
Jackson and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert — who took over in July 2019 — worked well together for the 2020 CBA. Their relationship seems to have cooled since then; Jackson criticized remarks Engelbert made in 2024 about online vitriol from fan bases.
This year, the union has engaged in more aggressive criticism of the WNBA/NBA about labor negotiations, trying to sway public opinion with actions such as wearing the “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts at the All-Star Game. With so much at stake in a changed financial landscape for the league, this could be a legacy-making CBA for Jackson. So it’s important for her to keep players unified, including reassuring rank-and-file union members that their interests are being protected as well as the WNBA stars’ interests are. — Michael Voepel
Key examples: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever; A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces; Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty; Angel Reese, Chicago Sky; Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Clark, for example, has high-profile endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, State Farm and Gatorade that provide her much more income than her WNBA salary. She is part of a group of players — both veterans and those still on rookie contracts — who could weather a potential work stoppage without financial hardship. That said, a key part of earning endorsements is visibility, which the WNBA provides.
Clark has two years left on the rookie contract she signed as the No. 1 pick in 2024. Once she becomes a free agent, she could afford financially to do what Wilson has done: take a lower salary to ensure playing with a strong group of teammates that fits under the salary cap. However, we don’t know if the new CBA will result in fewer instances of players being willing or feeling the need to do that. — Voepel
Key examples: Kiah Stokes, Las Vegas Aces; Natisha Hiedeman, Minnesota Lynx; Lindsay Allen, Connecticut Sun
There’s a range of perspectives and experiences even within this category. Some, though not all, are making good money overseas, in Unrivaled (where there will be 48 roster spots in 2026, up from 36 in the inaugural season) or with Athletes Unlimited (40 spots). Some, though not all, have pretty sizable sources of off-court income. The ones who don’t have either, though, are more reliant than their peers on their WNBA jobs and on the league succeeding — and a work stoppage would likely impact them most.
A four- or five-fold increase in WNBA salary would have a significant impact on this group. More roster spots — via expansion or an increase in roster sizes — would also provide them more opportunities to go to teams where they can make more money or simply find the best fit. — Alexa Philippou
Key examples: Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics; Aaliyah Edwards, Connecticut Sun; Maddy Siegrist, Dallas Wings
Not all young WNBA players are as fortunate as Clark to supplement their income off the court. For them, the degree to which the league increases the minimum salary could be crucial. When the minimum went up 36% in 2020 at the start of the current CBA, rookie contracts were revised upward so no player would make less than the minimum.
Given the likelihood of a much bigger jump this time around — league sources have speculated the minimum salary could quadruple — recent draft picks stand to cash in despite being under contract. At the same time, with long careers hopefully in front of them, the WNBA’s young players won’t want to lock in a deal that limits their earning upside down the road.
For future stars, this CBA will not only determine the next few seasons but also set the stage for subsequent agreements. — Kevin Pelton
Key examples: DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix Mercury; Alysha Clark, Washington Mystics; Sami Whitcomb, Phoenix Mercury; Tina Charles, Connecticut Sun
Bonner, who turned 38 in August, was the second-oldest active player in the WNBA this past season. During the WNBA playoffs, she told reporters she wasn’t sure whether she would return to play in 2026. Whether she does or not, a player her age likely has a strong interest in the WNBA starting a pension plan that is similar to what NBA players have. The WNBA currently has a 401(k); the NBA has that plus a pension plan, which began in the 1960s and is based on years of service and average salary. Current WNBA players want those who came before them — the league began in 1997 — to benefit from a pension plan, too. — Voepel
Key examples: Kiana Williams, Phoenix Mercury; Haley Jones, Dallas Wings; Elizabeth Kitley, Golden State Valkyries
Expansion is already a boon to former college stars such as Kiana Williams — the Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 Final Four as she and Jones led Stanford to the NCAA title — who have struggled to establish their professional careers. There will be at least 24 new roster spots in 2026 with the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo entering the league.
Roster expansion could create even more opportunities. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN in May that she finds increasing rosters to 13 or adding an injured list “incredibly reasonable” options.
Not only are larger rosters better financially for fringe players, they would get a real opportunity to develop within the context of a specific team’s system. That beats current hardship contracts that force players such as Williams to fly halfway across the country at the last minute to join new teams and suit up immediately. — Pelton
Key examples: Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm; Emma Meesseman, New York Liberty; Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury
Prioritization is top of mind for Gabby Williams and other international stars. The rule requiring players to report for the start of training camp nearly ruled out Williams for the 2023 season — she was eligible only because of a concussion sustained during the French finals — and kept her from joining the WNBA until after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When Williams finally enjoyed a full season in the WNBA in 2025, she was chosen as an All-Star for the first time. Now that she plays for Turkish power Fenerbahce, reporting on time shouldn’t be an issue, but if the league pushes for exclusivity, that could create more difficult choices for international players. The league could also seek to prevent players from joining national teams for competitions outside the marquee Olympics and FIBA World Cup, an issue for continental championships that don’t include USA Basketball. — Pelton
Key examples: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx; Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty; Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Three of the seven players on the WNBPA executive committee have stakes in other leagues. Collier and Stewart, who are committee vice presidents, are co-founders of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league that played its inaugural season earlier this year and offers an average six-figure salary to the WNBA’s top talent. Ogwumike, the WNBPA president, just signed a contract with Project B, a 5-on-5 league that is supposed to start next winter and will have a Formula 1-like format in which teams tour around Europe and Asia.
All three players are adamant their respective leagues are not in competition with the WNBA and that there is no conflict of interest when it comes to their ability to negotiate the new CBA. They say they need the WNBA to succeed just as much as everyone else. However, if Unrivaled continues to succeed and if Project B can get off the ground, this trio won’t need the WNBA as much as the players who don’t get invited to play in these leagues, which target the WNBA’s top players.
There’s also a question of what would happen if prioritization becomes a sticking point in negotiations. Would they be willing to walk away from leagues that offer them such high incomes? — Kendra Andrews
Key examples: Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks; Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
The current CBA saw some of the biggest steps forward for parents and pregnant players in the league. It ensured new parents would receive all of their salary during parental leave — previously they were guaranteed only half of it — and also gave them a childcare stipend, workplace accommodations for nursing and at least a two-bedroom apartment for players with children.
Family planning benefits are currently available for only players with eight or more years in the WNBA. It’s important for players to extend these protections and benefits.
Key examples: Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever; Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury; Brionna Jones, Atlanta Dream; Natasha Howard, Indiana Fever
Mitchell was the highest-paid player in the WNBA last year ($249,244 annual income), but unlike other players who are close to the maximum salary, such as A’ja Wilson, Mitchell doesn’t have the off-court brand and endorsement deals to give her large supplemental income. Because of this, she doesn’t have the same financial flexibility as others making more off the court to take a lower salary to allow more players to join her team.
Mitchell and Thomas received the core designation, which allows players to sign a one-year qualifying offer at the WNBA’s highest possible salary but prevents them from signing with another team as a free agent. During the last CBA negotiations, the maximum times a player can be cored went down from three years to two. Now there’s a possibility it could go down again. If that’s the case, Mitchell and Thomas would be ineligible for that tag, which would likely give them more control over their future. — Andrews
Key examples: JuJu Watkins, USC Trojans, Flau’jae Johnson, LSU Tigers; Sarah Strong, UConn Huskies; Lauren Betts, UCLA Bruins
Current college players aren’t technically represented at the bargaining table, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t closely watching how these negotiations unfold. Young players such as Clark, Reese and Bueckers helped catalyze this moment of tremendous growth for the WNBA, and there’s a slew of stars behind them who will help continue that momentum. What will the new CBA and playing in the WNBA look like for the next generation of stars? How much of a salary bump will rookies see under the new agreement?
Another matter that must be determined is whether the draft eligibility rules will change. Currently, college players can declare early for the draft if they turn 22 in that calendar year, while international prospects have to be at least 20 years old. If both sides loosen those requirements, that would impact top talents such as Watkins and Strong. — Philippou