Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier is the most recent player to speak openly about the real possibility surrounding a league-wide lockout for the upcoming WNBA season. She stated that the focus is primarily on revenue shares and not so much making as much as NBA players do.
"We're not asking for the same salaries as the men, we're asking for the same revenue shares. We get such a small amount of the revenue share that it affects our salary," Collier said in an interview with "We Need to Talk Now".
It wouldn't be realistic to think that WNBA players could make as much as NBA players. For comparison, the NBA generated well over $11 billion during the 2023-2024 season alone while the WNBA averaged $200 million during that time. According to Bloomberg, just over 9% of that total revenue the WNBA made went to player salaries.
Angel Reese turned the wheel first last month by speaking openly about it on her podcast while playing in the Unrivaled league in Miami.
"I got to get in the meetings because I'm hearing, if ya'll don't give us what we want, we sitting out," she said.
🚨🚨 WNBA star Angel Reese threatens to sit out of WNBA games if she doesn’t start getting paid more.
— JOSH DUNLAP (@JDunlap1974) March 11, 2025
“We deserve more. Everybody, everybody. But we have to face the consequences?”
“If y'all don't give us what we want, like we
sitting out.”
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/vIvP7eGmpm
These discussions are becoming more real as the players are in quick discussions with the league regarding the CBA, better known as the collective bargaining agreement. Players are seeking a new deal, especially after all of the attention and revenue the league saw last year, arguably their best to date.
The Women's National Basketball Players Association president and Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike doesn't want a shutdown but states that it is a real possibility if players are not compensated for the work they do.
"Opting out isn't just about bigger paychecks. It's about claiming our rightful share of the business we've built," she said.
Despite Caitlin Clark's impact, big questions remain
After her first historic season, the Caitlin Clark effect is real in the WNBA -- not just for personal records and stats, but economically as well. She has created a newfound interest among several fans across the world and has forever changed the trajectory of the sport. Clark alone contributed an estimated 26.5% of the league's economic activity in 2024, ranging from ticket and merchandise sales as well as television viewership.
To accommodate this massive demand, visiting teams have been moving their games against Clark and the Fever to larger arenas. But these large numbers she has generated aren't just yet quite translating to the rest of the league's pockets, meaning players. So, while she's helped the league tremendously, that could also lead to some tough conversations soon.
The most a player can make, also known as the supermax salary, is $249,000 annually. However, a first-year player in the NBA makes a league minimum of $1,157,153. This, of course, is due to the NBA generating large amounts of money for decades.
A league shut down would be treacherous for the WNBA. It takes time to generate and build up revenue and with last season being the first real year they've successfully done it, results won't happen right away, but its become more public now that more players are growing impatient with the lack of kickback. The WNBA will have to face and overcome these economic pains to maintain long term success and happiness amongst its players.
The WNBPA has until the end of the 2025 season to come to a new agreement with the league, but it's anticipated that big decisions will come much sooner than that with the league due to start up in May.