By Aminata Diallo
An agreement that has been the center of the tensions surrounding the upcoming 2026 WNBA season, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for the first time in history has skyrocketed the league’s salary cap. This month, the WNBA announced that the 7-year agreement will offer increased minimum and average salaries for WNBA players, including a nearly 400% percent, yes percent, salary cap, and for the first time in history; offers over $1 million contracts to high-earning players in the league. Nneka Ogwumike (president of the WNBPA) and WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert came to negotiations after an intense season of increased commercial success, and hard-working players who were determined to get what they earned.
In recent months, many fans and I have drawn to the explosive talent and attention surrounding women’s basketball. New talents such as Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and Paige Bueckers have drawn massive amounts of inspired fans to arenas to share their support and see the players driving the league’s success. Yet it did not take long for the new talent to feel the heavy disparities between men and women’s sports. In the 2025 WNBA All-Star game, which at the time seemed fuel that drove this deal, many star players and icons such as Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier wore shirts stating “Pay Us What You Owe Us” in demand of a larger share of revenue, citing increased profit and popularity of the league. In the same year, these two veteran basketball stars went on to start the offseason league “Unrivaled,” giving WNBA players a chance to earn in the offseason against familiar competitors instead of playing overseas to support their income.
Before the announcement of the new CBA, the minimum salary WNBA players received started at a mere $57,000, which at the time of 2020, according to The New York Times, was “the most significant financial jump to this point in league history.” (Merchant, Ryan, 2026). Many factors such as commercial success, league revenue, and percentage imbalances all played a role in the financial difference in women’s sport. In the 2026 bargaining agreement, the minimum salary cap for the league rises to around $300,000, with highest earning players earning up to $1.4 million, also set to increase over 7 years. Along with increased salaries comes improved facilities for players to train, guaranteed housing and healthcare, 401k benefits, and many more long overdue profits for the athletes. A win for women’s basketball players and fans, including myself, has seen the discrepancy between players’ efforts and their earnings.
This new CBA is a victory for Women’s History Month, and once again proves there is power in a collective. For a long time, women are told to accept what is given to them, if there is a seat at a table. For women in sports, a physically demanding career has been treated as a prestigious privilege more than a high-stakes profession, which is what makes this agreement so important. With these new changes, players’ talents and cultural impact now reflect their compensation. Alongside the financial agreements comes two expansion teams, set to begin playing this April. As the league grows and equity is finally proposed, the WNBA proves once again that coming together can change the game and the world.