WNBA players opt out of current CBA after historic season: 'We're out'
The WNBA players' union is officially pulling out of the league's current collective bargaining agreement.
The Women's National Basketball Players Association voted Monday to pull out of the current CBA with the league. The announcement comes just one day after the New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals, which was long anticipated.
“The players decided to opt out of the last CBA to restructure the business and save the league from its own limitations,” WNBPA Executive Director Terry Jackson said.
The union and league had until Nov. 1 to opt out of the current contract, which was first agreed to before the 2020 season and is set to expire in 2027. Monday's announcement does not mean the league will immediately enter a lockout, however, as the current CBA will still be in effect next season. The two sides now have about a year to reach an agreement. If this is not reached, a work stoppage could begin after the 2025 campaign.
A deadline for negotiations or a new contract is not yet known.
“With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair to all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement Monday afternoon.
The opt-out decision comes after a record year for the WNBA in both viewership and attendance. The playoffs saw a more than 140% increase in viewership before the start of the WNBA Finals, marking the highest viewership since the league's inaugural season in 1997. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark played a big role in that, as she had a playoff game. An incredible 2.5 million visitors alone. The semi-finals also averaged 850,000 viewers, almost double last season.
While the league reportedly will lose about $40 million this season, that money will change in 2026 when its new media rights deal kicks in. In July, the league signed 11-year media rights deals with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC for about $200 million. A season starting in 2026 is worth millions. The current media contract is worth about $60 million a season. The WNBA is expanding rapidly, too. The Golden State Valkyries will join the league starting in 2025, followed by teams from Portland and Toronto in 2026.
The players advocated for a number of issues in the new CBA, including increased player pay, retirement benefits, pregnancy and family planning benefits, implementing new, consistent minimum professional standards across the board and introducing an “equity-based” economic model. . League
Here's what Terry Jackson, executive director of the WNBPA, said: “The players decided to opt out of the last CBA to restructure the business and save the league from its own limitations.”
WNBPA lays out its priorities on next CBA: https://t.co/Dbmg7SlBQg pic.twitter.com/XyFH51Fsvy
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) October 21, 2024
“It's going to be an opportunity to listen to each other and take this league to the next level for generations to come,” Engelbart said before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, via The Associated Press, when asked about the CBA negotiations. “I look forward to building the future of the league and sitting down with the players. Let them opt out, not opt out
“I suspect that given the transformation of the league we're working so hard to build this long-term economic model, we've already given back to players through charters, increasing playoff bonuses to over 50 a few years ago. % So we will continue to do that and when we get to the bargain we will continue to talk about the things that are most important to the players.”
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