WNBA headed for lockout? What missed CBA deadline means for 2026 schedule and more
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After a year and a half of negotiations, the WNBA and WNBA Players' Association remain in a stalemate regarding the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The old CBA expired on Oct. 31, 2025. That didn't bring about an immediate lockout, however, with both sides agreeing to extend a deadline to Jan. 9, 2026, to reach an agreement on terms of a new deal.
The Jan. 9 deadline came and went, with a "status quo" being implemented. The league and union agreed to work under conditions set in the last CBA while negotiating for a new one. Another deadline was set, this one for March 10.
The consequences of failed negotiations would prove costly, the league indicated; if the two parties were unable to reach an agreement by the end of the day, the season would be delayed. Well, after more than two days of negotiations, no deal has been struck.
"I think what we're feeling is movement," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said late Wednesday night, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
“We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well. We need to see a more robust demonstration of that:”
Players have weighed going on strike for the better part of three months, although it's unclear how popular such a measure would prove among the player population. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: judgment day is approaching for the league and its workers, who are attempting to negotiate for better work conditions after spurring on unprecedented growth in recent years.
So, will the league's players go on strike? Here's what we know so far.
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Will WNBA have a lockout?
At present, it's unclear whether the WNBA will undergo a lockout in the coming few months. The March 10 deadline represented a red line of sorts for the league; the league announced Tuesday was the date a term sheet for a new CBA had to be filed to avoid a delay to the start of the season.
A meeting between the WNBA and WNBPA took place on March 10. ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported that March 10 might serve as more of "a target date than a hard-and-fast deadline." The negotiations went well into the night, lasting more than 12 hours, per Front Office Sport's Annie Costabile, with WNBA staff finally leaving a midtown Manhattan hotel around 5:20 a.m. ET.
"It’s complex," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. "We’re working towards a win-win deal like we’ve been saying, a transformational deal for these players that balances all the things we’ve been trying to balance with continued investment by our owners, et cetera. So we’re working hard towards that, and we still have work to do."
Engelbert was asked for clarification on a timeline for a completed deal, and her response was that “We’ve got to get it done soon.” The league and union met again on March 11 for additional negotiations. There was some "movement", Ogwumike said, with seven proposals being exchanged across March 10 and March 11. However, the parties haven't been able to strike a deal yet.
"We haven't ever really considered that as a timeline that has been something to prioritize on our side," Ogwumike said, per Philippou. "We have always been negotiating in good faith... we're trying to get a good deal done & want to play this season. That's the time that we're on."
The league and union are facing a time crunch. They've exchanged proposals and counterproposals in recent months, with the most recent offer coming from the union on Wednesday night. The league said it sent a new offer to the union after the players left late Wednesday night.
“Our proposal on the table is a real historic and transformational deal for these players,” Engelbert said, according to AP. “Huge gains and salaries, benefits, everything you’re seeing, but beyond that when you see the whole thing. huge, huge benefits. ... We’re proud of the deal we have on the table. I think it’s, again, huge gains for the players, while again, balancing that with the health of the league.”
Negotiations entered a third day on Thursday, with deliberations lasting another 15 hours. Talks progressed throughout the day, according to Costabile. On Friday, the league and union representative met again, with meetings starting around 10 a.m. ET, per Costabile. Revenue share, housing, core designations and benefits were discussed throughout the day.
Meetings continued during the weekend, with deliberations reaching a sixth day on Sunday. Talks stretched into the wee hours of Monday morning. According to Philippou, discussions largely centered around revenue sharing.
There is still understood to be a gap between league and union expectations on revenue sharing, housing, the future of core designation and benefits for retired players, per Philippou. It's unclear how far the two parties are at present, with leaks proving far less common as negotiations have progressed.
The WNBPA player body called for its seven-player executive committee to authorize a strike "when necessary" in December, opening the door for players to withhold their labor in pursuit of a fair deal. The popularity of that measure remains unknown at present, with first vice president Kelsey Plum claiming that a strike "would be the worst thing for both sides."
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Biggest issues in WNBA CBA negotiations
There are several issues that will have to be accounted for if the league and the WNBPA hope to agree terms to a new CBA. Two rise above the rest, however: revenue sharing and salary cap expansion.
Revenue sharing
The union called to receive 26% of gross revenue over the lifetime of its next CBA. The WNBA was unconvinced by the WNBPA's proposal, offering less than 15% gross revenue. The league also called the union proposal "unrealistic," claiming that it would bring about losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The league's offer calls for players to receive more than 70% net revenue (revenue after deducting expenses).
Salary cap
The union is proposing a salary cap of less than $9.5 million in Year 1 of the deal, up from the meager $1.5 million mark it sat at in 2025. The league's initial rebuttal called for a salary cap of $5.75 million a season in 2026, with that figure rising annually with increases in league revenue. By 2031, the salary cap would sit at $8.5 million under the WNBA's proposal.
A recent league proposal called for the salary cap to rise to $6.2 million in 2026. The average salary of a WNBA player would sit at $570,000, while a maximum contract -- handed out to the league's biggest stars -- would exceed $1 million in the first year of the new CBA. Both of those figures would rise over the lifetime of the CBA, with the average salary ballooning to $850,000 by Year 6 and max contract values swelling to nearly $2 million, per Philippou.
When will the WNBA season start?
The WNBA season is currently slated to start on May 8. The league previously announced that an agreement between itself and the union on a new CBA would need to be reached by that date to avoid a delayed start to the season. But deadlines have proven fickle between both parties in recent months. It's certainly possible that the league is trying to pressure the players to take a deal against their own interests.
Regardless, there's plenty of action set to take place if a deal goes through. It could take weeks for the agreement to be ratified. Furthermore, an expansion draft, free agency and the 2026 WNBA Draft are all expected to take place across April, with training camp set to kick off on April 19. If there are any delays in that process, the league could opt to push the start of the season back. And that's assuming the players don't take matters into their own hands and strike.
Will the WNBA season be delayed?
Everything remains on the table as of March 10. With a deal not yet made by the end of the day Tuesday, the league could keep its word and delay the start of the 2026 season.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the media on Friday night that progress has been made, but "time is of the essence."
Speaking during a break in marathon, in-person negotiations in Manhattan, Engelbert stressed that a deal needs to be finalized by Monday to avoid significant disruptions to the league’s calendar. "I've never been a betting woman in my life and I'm not going to start now. But we have to get a deal done by Monday," she said, highlighting the logjam of logistical hurdles—including the expansion draft for Portland and Toronto, free agency, and the collegiate draft—that must be cleared before the scheduled May 8 tip-off.
While both the league and the WNBPA reported "movement" after four days of talks that frequently stretched into the early morning hours, revenue sharing remains the primary obstacle. The league’s latest proposal reportedly includes a record $6.2 million salary cap for 2026, a massive jump from the previous $1.5 million. However, the union continues to push for a model tied to gross revenue rather than net revenue, with WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike maintaining that while the players "want to play," they are holding out for a truly transformational deal that reflects the league's recent explosive growth.
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Has there been a WNBA work stoppage before?
No, there has never been a 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 laid out during 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.”