Union: WNBA made enough money for revenue sharing - ESPN

For the first time in history, the WNBA generated enough revenue in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing with its players, union leadership told ESPN on Sunday. Union leaders said the league notified player leadership earlier this month that they hit the benchmark. The 13 teams will receive a total of $8 million from the league to disperse among players, the union said.

The Women's National Basketball Players Association declined to provide bank statements, the amount of revenue generated by the league or the number required to trigger the revenue sharing. The WNBA declined to comment on the payments on Monday.

The revenue targets in the 2020 CBA were based on 2019 revenue numbers and compounded by 20% across subsequent years. The COVID-19 pandemic depressed revenue in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, seemingly making the cumulative targets out of reach.

The announcement by the union comes amid contentious negotiations between the league and players for a new CBA. Revenue sharing and salary continue to be sticking points.

«This shows our value and how what we're fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting,» WNBPA treasurer Brianna Turner told ESPN.

Under the 2020 CBA, players would receive 50% of shared revenue — defined in the CBA as the amount of revenue over a predetermined threshold minus 30% for expenses. In 2025, the players' portion of shared revenue amounted to about $16 million, according to the union. Of that, $8 million will be paid to players who were active in 2025, the union said. As mandated by the CBA, the other half ($8 million) will be allocated to league marketing agreements, which are offseason initiatives offered to some players to promote the league and its partners.

The union and the league have