Add Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson to the list of WNBA players frustrated by the current state of collective bargaining negotiations. The three-time league MVP says the league’s recent counter-proposal—which she called an “eyebrow-raiser”—doesn’t include the equitable revenue-sharing system that the players’ union seeks amid a league-wide economic boom.
“We know who we’re dealing with on the other side,” Wilson said earlier this week. “I think the biggest thing is making sure that we continue to call out the BS when we see it … We’re not going to let up until we get what we have earned.”
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There are less than four months until the current CBA’s expires, and the WNBA’s recent counter-proposal has increased tension. Wilson says it’s another reminder that there’s a lot of work to be done for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and its advisors to achieve a “total revenue share” that’s doesn’t limit player payouts like the current CBA does.
The league’s response featured a similar revenue-sharing system as the current CBA with a hard salary cap, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The union is aiming to soften the salary cap, so there’s more flexibility to exceed the cap. The WNBA did not respond to a request for comment.
WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike echoed a similar sentiment as Wilson; she believes the league had a “misinterpretation” of the union’s initial proposals sent earlier this year. While the Seattle Storm star was pleased that the league responded last month, she said it took far longer than expected. She stopped short of saying the delay was intentional.
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The WNBPA also aims to improve family planning and retirement benefits, with a more robust pension plan. But the revenue-sharing dispute has made negotiations on non-salary compensation clauses more difficult, Ogwumike said.
“It’s interesting that there’s a $250 million expansion fee, and there’s no openness to have that be reflected in revenue share that goes to the players, especially as we’re experiencing growth,” she told reporters last week. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but we’re hoping we can get some clarity on that in Indiana.”
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson previously stated she hoped to have significant progress toward a new accord by the WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, which kicks off on July 18. It’s expected there will be a meeting between league officials and WNBPA staffers, player reps and other advisors while everyone is in town. There needs to be an agreement by the Oct. 31 deadline to avoid a work stoppage.
The union hopes to walk away from the Indy meeting with more confidence that a deal will be done before the deadline.
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“I don’t think we’re as close as we thought we were going to be,” Aces guard and union player rep Chelsea Gray said. The 11-year WNBA veteran called the recent counter-proposal “terrible” and said she was surprised that there wasn’t “that big of a jump” from the current revenue-sharing model, which pays players 50% of all incremental revenue, which is a percentage of league earnings that exceed set growth targets.
The incremental revenue-share structure is a stark contrast compared to other sports leagues. The NBA, for example, pays players 51% of basketball-related income, which is gross operating revenue gained by the league and its teams. This includes income from ticket sales, TV deals and merchandise. In the NFL, meanwhile, players are guaranteed 48% of the league’s revenue as outlined in their CBA.
In the last week, notable All-Star players from the WNBPA committee, including Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and Satou Sabally of the Phoenix Mercury, have been vocal about their disappointment in the league’s initial counter. Sabally went as far to call it a “slap in the face” and has previously called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
The WNBA is experiencing unprecedented growth across nearly every business metric, including ticket sales and viewership. Buoyed by $2.2 billion from new media rights deals set to kick in next year, the league plans to expand to 18 teams by 2030.
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“We bring a lot of eyes and awareness to this league,” Gray added. “There’s no league without the players, so the revenue share needs to reflect that.”
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