"For the first time in WNBA history, a player will make a $1 million salary in 2026. The league's most recent proposal calls for a $5 million salary cap -- a massive 230% increase -- that will produce some of the largest contracts for American women's professional athletes across any sport. A proposed 20% max salary for individual players would produce base salaries up to $1 million, with additional escalators based on league revenue that the WNBA estimates would bring their full value to $1.3 million."
"Although the WNBA is heading toward its 30th season, the league only adopted a salary cap in 2003 as part of protracted negotiations on the league's second CBA. Before that deal, the league signed players to their contracts. From that point, individual teams agreed to contracts as part of the introduction of free agency. The first salary cap was $622,000 per team, which the WNBA projects will be barely more than the average player makes in 2026 under its proposal."
Negotiations between the WNBA and its players association could result in a player earning $1 million in 2026 under a proposed $5 million league salary cap, a 230% increase. A 20% maximum individual salary would produce base pay up to $1 million, with revenue-based escalators estimated to raise full contracts to $1.3 million. Revenue share remains a major sticking point in ongoing talks. Comparisons to the NBA and NWSL provide context for the proposed increases. The WNBA implemented a salary cap in 2003 at $622,000 per team, with modest annual increases in subsequent CBAs.
Read at ESPN.com
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