WNBA Players Opt Out of Agreement and Ask for Higher Salaries After Record-Breaking Season: ‘This Is a New Era’

Mar. 15, 2025

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.Photo:Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire/Getty ; Jeff Bottari/NBAE/Getty

Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire/Getty ; Jeff Bottari/NBAE/Getty

WNBAplayers are demanding higher salaries from the league after a historic season.One day after thedramatic conclusionof theWNBA Finals, the WNBA Players Union announced Monday, Oct. 21 that it is opting out of its collective bargaining agreement with the league and will now negotiate a new contract between the players and their employer.“The WNBPA Board of Player Representatives and WNBPA Executive Committee have decided to opt out of the 2020 WNBA/WNBPA CBA on behalf of the collective,” the union wrote in a statement on social media. “It’s business.”ESPN,NPRandCBS Newsreport that the players union is asking the league for an increase in player salaries, an upgrade to team facilities across the league and better health and family planning benefits.“This is a defining moment, not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” Seattle Storm star and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement, according to ESPN. “The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind.”A’ja Wilson.Travis Bell/NBAE/GettyOgwumike added that “opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks — it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come.”“We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it,” she said.The past season was historic in several ways for the league, with NPRreportingthe WNBA has seen a dramatic increase in attendance at games, as well as a reported ratings hike with fans tuning in to watch a new generation of women’s basketball stars likeCaitlin ClarkandAngel Reeseplaying their first year in the league.The WNBA also announced plans to add new franchises: the Golden State Valkyries will join the league next season, while teams in Toronto and Portland, Ore. will follow suit in 2026.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.And although players are demanding more with a newly negotiated CBA, they have also said throughout this season that the quality of player treatment has increased with the WNBA now providing chartered flights for teams when they travel for away games — a first in the league’s more than a quarter century in existence.Napheesa Collier.Evan Bernstein/Getty"With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement, according to CBS.“This isn’t some sudden wake-up call. It’s the culmination of what we’ve been driving for over the last several seasons,” Las Vegas Aces star and WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum said in a statement, according to ESPN. “We’ve played a key role in the league’s historic growth and now we’re breaking free from the current system to demand full transparency and an equitable stake in the business we’ve helped build.”

WNBAplayers are demanding higher salaries from the league after a historic season.

One day after thedramatic conclusionof theWNBA Finals, the WNBA Players Union announced Monday, Oct. 21 that it is opting out of its collective bargaining agreement with the league and will now negotiate a new contract between the players and their employer.

“The WNBPA Board of Player Representatives and WNBPA Executive Committee have decided to opt out of the 2020 WNBA/WNBPA CBA on behalf of the collective,” the union wrote in a statement on social media. “It’s business.”ESPN,NPRandCBS Newsreport that the players union is asking the league for an increase in player salaries, an upgrade to team facilities across the league and better health and family planning benefits.

“This is a defining moment, not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” Seattle Storm star and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement, according to ESPN. “The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind.”

A’ja Wilson.Travis Bell/NBAE/Getty

Travis Bell/NBAE/Getty

Ogwumike added that “opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks — it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come.”“We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it,” she said.

The past season was historic in several ways for the league, with NPRreportingthe WNBA has seen a dramatic increase in attendance at games, as well as a reported ratings hike with fans tuning in to watch a new generation of women’s basketball stars likeCaitlin ClarkandAngel Reeseplaying their first year in the league.

The WNBA also announced plans to add new franchises: the Golden State Valkyries will join the league next season, while teams in Toronto and Portland, Ore. will follow suit in 2026.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

And although players are demanding more with a newly negotiated CBA, they have also said throughout this season that the quality of player treatment has increased with the WNBA now providing chartered flights for teams when they travel for away games — a first in the league’s more than a quarter century in existence.

Napheesa Collier.Evan Bernstein/Getty

Evan Bernstein/Getty

“With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement, according to CBS.

“This isn’t some sudden wake-up call. It’s the culmination of what we’ve been driving for over the last several seasons,” Las Vegas Aces star and WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum said in a statement, according to ESPN. “We’ve played a key role in the league’s historic growth and now we’re breaking free from the current system to demand full transparency and an equitable stake in the business we’ve helped build.”

source: people.com