In 2024, the WNBA delivered its most-watched regular season in twenty-four years. It also finished with the highest attendance in 22 years and set records for digital consumption and merchandise sales. So, it’s fair to say that the WNBA is at a turning point, and the league is seeing the kind of mainstream attention they have fought for all along. But the fight is far from over, and right now, the biggest battle is unfolding in boardrooms and social media feeds.
Enter Angel Reese, one of the league’s most talked-about rookies, who has been making it clear where she stands on the ongoing CBA fight. The current agreement, signed in 2020, was supposed to last until 2027. But the players voted to opt out early, meaning the deal now ends on October 31, 2025. That gives both sides about a year to figure it out — or face a lockout. The WNBPA’s message is simple: if the league wants to keep growing, it needs to #BetOnWomen — not just in words, but in action. And Angel Reese isn’t just on board — she’s ready to fight for it. “We’re Sitting Out,” she recently said, loud and clear.
The players are pushing for better pay, improved benefits, and an overall deal that actually reflects their worth. You know, the kind of things you’d think would be a given in a professional sports league. Nneka Ogwumike, who’s basically the voice of reason and resistance in the WNBA, laid it all out: “We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we are demanding it because we’ve earned it.” Mic drop. And Reese didn’t waste any time backing her up. She reposted the brwsports post to her Instagram story with a one-word response: “Exactly.”
And the business side of the league proves that Ogwumike and Reese have a point. In 2022, the league secured a historic $75 million capital raise, valuing the WNBA at $475 million, with investors acquiring a 16% equity stake. On top of that, in July 2024, the WNBA’s media rights deal increased from $60 million annually to $200 million per year over an eleven-year period, marking a more than 300% increase.
The WNBPA, though, was not satisfied with this new deal, saying, “We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation—if initial reports are accurate or even close. Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that in the last few years, we have seen unprecedented growth across all metrics, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand, and that the fans keep showing up. There is no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again.”
However, the bottom line remains that this amount still significantly surpasses WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s initial goal of doubling the current deal’s annual value. So, what’s her excuse? Notably, Engelbert has pointed to financial constraints as a reason for the league’s slow progress on issues like charter flights. But after major sponsors like Google, AT&T, and Nike poured millions into the WNBA, players aren’t buying the idea that there’s just not enough money to go around.
Their fight isn’t just about money; it is about respect, too. It’s about ensuring players don’t have to fly commercial while NBA players travel on chartered jets, preventing situations like the Indiana Fever sleeping in an airport overnight. It’s about making sure future generations of WNBA players don’t have to take second jobs overseas just to earn a livable income. Like Ogwumike said, “Securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players.” The players have fueled the league’s growth, and to them, it doesn’t seem fair that while NBA players receive 50% of the league’s basketball-related income, WNBA players never got more than 20%.
Reese’s alignment with Ogwumike sends a clear message: This isn’t just about veteran players pushing for better pay — the younger generation is locked in too.
“The WNBA don’t pay my bills at all.” Angel Reese didn’t even blink when she said it. And honestly? She’s not wrong. The Chicago Sky rookie is set to make $74,909 next season, and her entire four-year contract totals $324,383. At this point, comparing WNBA and NBA salaries is like comparing a gourmet buffet to instant noodles—but here’s the real kicker: the WNBA is making more money than ever and still insists it is broke.
David Berri, an economics professor at Southern Utah University, has been studying WNBA finances for years, and even he’s confused. He recalls a time when the league suddenly discovered funding after previously claiming they were tapped out. “Turns out we have the money,” he mimicked, joking about the league’s sudden cash discoveries. “I thought we didn’t have the money, but we looked under the cushion in our offices and there was the money,’”
That’s not exactly reassuring. Because here’s what we do know: the WNBA has never been more financially successful. Sponsorships? Pouring in fast. TV Ratings? At record highs. Expansion? Happening, with the Golden State Valkyries arriving in 2025 with a $50 million investment. Individual team revenue? The New York Liberty made $2 million off ONE GAME. And let’s not forget that Kim Kardashian’s Skims deal alone generated $3.8 million in media exposure in just 10 days.
Despite all this cash raining down, the WNBA somehow managed to lose $50 million in 2024—five times the $10 million in losses it had been reporting for years. This raises an important question: HOW? Professor Nola Agha, a sports management expert, suggests this could be strategic accounting. In other words, leagues sometimes claim they’re losing money when they’re actually not—because admitting profit would mean paying players more.
And Berri agrees. “The WNBA has no story here. They don’t have any evidence that says they’re not making a profit. They just have an assertion. They assert it. And I know why they assert it,” he said. “If the WNBA came out and said, ‘OK, we lied. We have a lot of money. We’re making a profit,’ the women would instantly say, ‘Why are you paying us so little?’”
In October, Reese admitted she couldn’t afford to pay her bills based on that salary in an Instagram Live video. “I’m living beyond my means.” AR expressed. She added, “Literally, I’m trying to think of my rent for where I stay at. Let me do the math real quick. I don’t even know my (WNBA) salary, $74,000?”
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson, who helped negotiate the 2020 CBA, knows the current deal isn’t working anymore for the WNBA players. “Player pay hasn’t kept up,” Jackson said. “Players are the only ones who are capped.” The 2020 deal improved salaries, added maternity leave, and bumped up travel standards — but the league’s revenue has exploded since then, and player pay hasn’t. That’s also why Unrivaled, the new league co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, matters so much.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says the league wants a “fair deal for all,” but players like Reese are over the empty promises. Reese’s warning that they’re ready to sit out makes it clear — the business is booming, and it’s time the players got their cut.
