No one expected the WNBA to blink first. But after months of player frustration, global attention, and the sudden rise of deep-pocketed competitor leagues, the WNBA has finally pushed a historic offer across the table — an offer so massive, so unprecedented, it sent shockwaves through women’s basketball. Yet instead of celebration… the league may have just ignited a war.
For years, WNBA players have asked for respect — real, measurable respect, backed by money, resources, and power. And for years, the league responded with small raises, vague promises, and slow progress. But that era is officially over.
In a stunning move that blindsided even the players’ union, the WNBA submitted a jaw-dropping new Collective Bargaining Agreement proposal, and it is nothing like anything the league has ever dared to offer. Not only do salaries skyrocket — the league is offering paychecks that were unthinkable just one year ago.
For the first time in WNBA history, max contracts would break the $1 million mark.
And not by a little — the proposed figure is $1.1 million, with guaranteed annual increases baked directly into the deal.
To put this into perspective:
WNBA players who once earned $215,000 at most may soon pull in five times that amount, reshaping the financial landscape of women’s hoops overnight.
But here’s the twist: this generational leap forward is arriving at the worst — or perhaps best — possible moment. Because six weeks ago, before the meteoric rise of Project B, $1 million felt historic. Today, it feels like the WNBA is playing catch-up.
Project B, the new Saudi-backed super-league offering minimum salaries of $2 million — and reportedly much more for players like Alyssa Thomas, Nneka Ogwumike, and Jonquel Jones — has shifted the entire power structure of the sport. Suddenly, the WNBA’s revolutionary offer now looks like a counterpunch rather than a gift.
But money is only half the story.
A Deep Look at What’s On the Line
The WNBA’s new offer isn’t just about padding superstar pockets. It restructures the entire pay system:
• Minimum salary for rookies and early-career players: $220,000
—a life-changing jump from previous years.
• Minimum salary for veterans: over $460,000
—more than quadruple the old number.
• Multiple players per team can earn the max salary simultaneously
—unlike many leagues that force teams to choose just one star.
This is a complete overhaul of the WNBA’s economic model.
Caitlin Clark, whose arrival has fueled record viewership, merchandise sales, and league-wide growth, stands to benefit enormously. Under this offer, she would almost certainly earn the max — more than $1 million per season, plus incentives, plus her massive endorsement empire.
But players across the league know exactly what’s happening behind the scenes:
The WNBA is scared.
Scared of losing more stars to Project B.
Scared of losing momentum.
Scared of losing the players who finally forced the world to pay attention.
This fear is why the league rushed to extend negotiations past the original October deadline and into November 30.
They needed time — and they needed a counteroffer strong enough to make players think twice.
But there’s a problem.
A massive, deal-breaking problem.
The Battle Line: Revenue Sharing
If you want to understand the real fight, the fight beneath the headlines, the speeches, the CBA proposals — it’s about one thing:
Power.
The WNBPA is demanding a true revenue-sharing model.
Not a nice raise.
Not a traditional yearly increase.
But a system in which players earn more as the league grows.
Currently, players receive roughly 9% of league revenue.
In the NBA?
Players receive 49–51%.
That 40% gap is the real battlefield.
The WNBA’s new proposal offers enormous raises — but refuses to change the system. The league wants to keep salaries disconnected from revenue. A flat 3% growth per year. Period.
The players see this and say:
“Why should we settle now when the league is finally growing because of us?”
This fight is especially charged because the WNBA is experiencing its biggest boom ever — record attendance, record TV ratings, record jersey sales, global media attention… and much of that surge points back to a single catalyst:
Caitlin Clark.
WNBA executives know it.
Advertisers know it.
Networks know it.
The players know it.
Clark’s impact gives players unprecedented leverage.
If the league is going to ride the revenue wave she helped create, the players want a fair share of it.
The Clock Is Ticking — And Disaster Looms
Both sides have until November 30 to finalize a deal.
If they don’t?
• No expansion draft
• No free agency
• No offseason movement
• And potentially… no 2026 season
The WNBA has never been closer to a work stoppage.
Meanwhile, Project B is calling — loudly. They’re offering huge salaries, global exposure, equity stakes, and the chance to play without the exhausting overseas grind. And they’re doing it at a time when the WNBA’s biggest stars feel underpaid and undervalued.
Several players have already signed. More are considering it.
The leverage dynamic has flipped.
For the first time ever…
The WNBA needs the players more than the players need the WNBA.
The Future of the Sport Is Being Written Now
So here’s the question every fan, player, agent, and executive is asking:
Do players take the historic money now…
or risk everything to secure long-term power through revenue sharing?
Both paths are explosive.
Both come with massive consequences.
Both could shape women’s basketball for a generation.
Whatever happens next, one thing is crystal clear:
This isn’t just about salaries.
This is a fight for control.
A fight for value.
A fight for the future.
And the world is watching.
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