Adam Silver says WNBA players will get deserved ‘big increase’ in pay

The WNBA collective bargaining agreement expires in 10 days.

Minnesota Lynx All-Star forward Napheesa Collier, who serves as the WNBPA vice president, says the players have prioritized ‘two main points’ — increased revenue sharing and salary structures — during negotiations.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about progress toward a deal by “Today” host Craig Melvin on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Melvin asked if WNBA players should get a larger piece of the revenue pie. “They get nine percent of total revenue compared to roughly 50 percent of the revenue of NBA players. Should they be getting a larger share of revenue in the WNBA?”

“Yes,’ Silver said ‘I think ‘share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA. You should look at it in absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making. They are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining. And they deserve it.”

Under the current agreement, WNBA players receive 9.3% of the league’s revenue, according to Market Watch, which includes income generated through ticket sales, TV deals, licensing and merchandise. The WNBA’s revenue share agreement is much lower than other professional leagues. NBA players receive 49-51% of all basketball-related income and NFL players get 48% of all revenue and NHL players receive 50% of revenue.

The current CBA, which was signed in January 2020, shortly after Cathy Engelbert took over as commissioner in 2019, was set to expire in 2027. The WNBPA, however, exercised its right to opt out of the agreement last October amid unprecedented league growth, meaning the CBA now ends on Oct. 31, 2025.

‘While I hope we make the October 31st deadline, and that is a real deadline from that perspective, we have extended deadlines in the past,’ Engelbert said during her press conference ahead of the WNBA Finals on Oct. 3. ‘Last time, when I was only a couple days on the job, we got to an extension and got a deal done that was progressive at the time. So again, I feel confident that we can get a deal done, but if not, I think we could do an extension.’

The draft lottery, expansion drafts and subsequent free agency period are all contingent on a new CBA. The league’s newest franchises, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, will begin play during the 2026 season, which will be the WNBA’s 30th anniversary.