WNBA lockout, explained: Everything to know about basketball league’s potential work stoppage in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
JUMP TO:
-
Why might there be a WNBA lockout?
-
Could the WNBA season could be canceled?
-
WNBA work stoppage before history
-
Lockout and a strike differences
The WNBA is approaching the most important juncture in the league’s young history.
Advertisement
After experiencing exponential growth over the last several seasons, the WNBA and the WNBA Players’ Association have reached an impasse on negotiations regarding a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
This impasse has threatened the league’s immediate future, placing a level of uncertainty around the 2026 season. There, of course, is a chance that all gets patched up in time, but there are several issues to work through.
Here is what to know about the potential of a lockout, the hang-ups in negotiations, and what it all means moving forward.
MORE: Why Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier blasted WNBA for ‘worst leadership in the world’
Advertisement
Why might there be a WNBA lockout?
There would be a WNBA lockout if the league and its players’ association cannot reach an agreement on a new CBA.
The current agreement expires on Oct. 31, 2025, but failure to reach an agreement by that date does not automatically trigger a lockout. The two sides could agree to extend the term of the current agreement to continue negotiations, but the league is working under tight guidelines because of the two expansion teams set to begin in 2026.
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN this of a potential lockout: “Hopefully [the agreement] gets done in the time that makes sense. I don’t think anyone wants to see a lockout.
Advertisement
“That’s not something that we’re advocating for. We just want to make sure that this is a deal that’s done the right way and using whatever time it takes for us to be able to have both sides agree on something.”
MORE: How the WNBPA labor disbute took center stage at 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
What the WNBPA wants
Some of the WNBA players’ larger issues stem from revenue sharing and tie in structural changes they would like to see in the league.
Here is what the association’s official statement read in October 2024:
The WNBPA advocates for a new equity-based financial structure, moving away from restrictive caps on compensation, with demands for enhanced retirement benefits, child care, and family planning options.
“The players are still adamant that we get a percentage of revenue that grows with the business, which perhaps includes team revenue, and that’s just a part of the conversation,” Ogwumike told ESPN.
Advertisement
Sports economist David Berri estimates that in 2025, WNBA players received less than 7% of basketball-related income (BRI). BRI accounts for most of the league’s revenue, yet the current CBA does not guarantee that players receive a set share.
Under the existing agreement, players only receive additional revenue sharing once the league reaches certain revenue benchmarks. While the league says those thresholds haven’t been met, the players have requested supporting data—which the WNBA has not provided.
“That’s where the trust started to break down,” one league source told ESPN. “You want to call ’em greedy and unreasonable, but you won’t give them the data.”
Comparatively, the NBA’s CBA sees players get paid roughly 50% of BRI, which is a split the WNBPA is seeking in negotiations. More than just salary increases, the WNBPA is interested in changing how the salary cap works, as outlined by ESPN.
Advertisement
In addition to compensation, players are seeking pensions — including for former players — and more support for players with children.
What WNBA owners want
“Prioritization” is a buzzword likely to come up repeatedly in negotiations, as owners want players to put the WNBA above offseason leagues — whether overseas or domestic competitions like Unrivaled or Athletes Unlimited.
According to ESPN, owners believe that “prioritization brings more respect to the league.”
While they haven’t outright banned players from offseason leagues, owners want an affirmation of loyalty to the WNBA.
This time around, owners have a stronger incentive to reach a deal, thanks to the growing revenue the league and its teams are generating. Unlike in the past, failing to support the league now could result in significant financial losses.
Advertisement
MORE: Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addresses Napheesa Collier, more during WNBA Finals presser
Is there a chance the WNBA season could be canceled?
However slim, there is a chance the WNBA season could be canceled.
The first step toward having a season would be a new CBA between the league and the players’ association. Deadlines could be pushed back, but if negotiations drag out, the risk of there being no season increases.
The WNBA season typically begins in late May, but the expansion draft, free agency, and WNBA Draft are important steps before the next season begins. The current Oct. 31 deadline gives the league some sort of a runway, but extensions make the timeline more difficult.
Advertisement
Has there been a WNBA work stoppage before?
No, there has never been a lockout or work stoppage in the WNBA before.
What’s the difference between a lockout and a strike?
Here is a definition of both terms in sports, as explained through the lens of MLB labor negotiations in 2021.
A lockout is ownership saying “you can’t work for us until you agree to a new deal.” A strike is employees (players, in this case) saying “we won’t work for you until you agree to a new deal.”
