The WNBA‘s offseason hums with tension as negotiations between players and league leadership reach a boiling point, and Nneka Ogwumike has delivered a direct message: she wants millionaire players.
With the 2026 season approaching, Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA, made it clear that players will not accept symbolic victories, demanding a seismic shift in the league’s financial structure to reflect their growing value.
“When you look at how much is being made, that is basically a decimal,” Ogwumike said. “A fair share is all we’re looking for. And it’s more than a million.”
Nneka Ogwumike 2025 WNBA Season
* Points per game: 18.3
* Rebounds per game: 7
* Assists per game: 2.3
* Steals per game: 1.1
* Field goal percentage: 51.9%
* Three-point percentage: 36.7%
* Games played: 44
The league’s leadership, led by commissioner Cathy Engelbert, faces mounting pressure from both players and fans as the season draws nearer, with Ogwumike signaling that the union will not settle for minor concessions.
Back in October 2024, the WNBA players voted to opt out of the existing CBA, originally set through 2027, which expired on October 31, 2025, initiating negotiations that have extended well into 2026 without resolution.
Attendance, viewership, and franchise valuations have soared since the last deal, while an 11-year media rights contract announced in July 2024, reportedly worth $2.2 billion, underscores the league’s growth and revenue potential.
Yet the WNBA‘s maximum 2025 salary hovered around $250,000, while the new proposal offers a base of $1 million, plus potential revenue-sharing earnings, a figure that remains insufficient for Ogwumike and fellow players seeking fair compensation.
Why does the WNBPA and WNBA remain locked in a CBA stand-off?
Complicating matters, the league sold 16% of its stake in 2022 to stabilize post-pandemic finances, fueling growth but creating a more complex ownership and revenue structure that now factors heavily in negotiations.
Players push for roughly 30% of gross revenue, while the WNBA counteroffers less than 15% of net revenue, warning that exceeding this could generate nearly $700 million in losses over the term of a new CBA, deepening the divide.
And on top of that, franchise values have climbed, and the league’s media deals underscore its commercial boom, yet players argue the current revenue model still undervalues their contributions relative to the league’s financial strength.
“The energy, the experience from a player’s perspective,” Ogwumike added. “It doesn’t feel like anything but upward and forward.
“There’s a level of leverage that comes with that in negotiating. Players understand their worth; they understand their value. That’s what we want. It’s what we deserve.”
Ownership complexities from the 2022 stake sale, while helping stabilize the league and fund expansion and marketing, have further complicated negotiations, as the WNBPA pushes for a structure reflecting current revenues and opportunities.
The divide persists, with the WNBA warning that meeting player demands could generate hundreds of millions in losses, while the union asserts that fair compensation must match the league’s growth and players’ on-court value.
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