Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham has spoken candidly about the stalled WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations with the players. The league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have been negotiating for months, exchanging proposals without resolution.
The WNBPA is pushing for a larger slice of the league’s rising revenues. Central to the players’ demands is a significant increase in revenue sharing. Under the current CBA, players earn less than 10% of league revenue, far below the NBA’s 51% split.
The union’s latest proposal calls for 25% of gross revenue in the first year, rising to an average of 26% over the agreement’s duration. Players are also seeking higher salaries, a bigger team salary cap, team-provided housing, better pension plans, enhanced pregnancy protections and standardized practice facilities.
The WNBA has countered with a more conservative offer. Its proposal would give players over 70% of net revenue — under 15% of gross revenue — with a 2026 $5.75 million salary cap. Maximum salaries would start at $1.3 million and could reach $2 million by 2031. At the same time, average player salaries would rise from $120,000 in 2025 to $540,000 in 2026.
The league called the union’s revenue demands “unrealistic,” warning they could cause hundreds of millions in losses for team owners.
Sophie Cunningham criticizes WNBA’s approach to new CBA talks
Cunningham has voiced frustration over the WNBA’s approach to stalled CBA negotiations. Speaking on her “Show Me Something” podcast, the WNBA star revealed why players have resisted the league’s latest proposals regarding the new CBA.
“The league actually came back to us last night at like 10 p.m. Nothing happened with the revenue share, and that is the whole thing that we’re fighting for,” the veteran guard said.
“They go and they change our salary cap, but only like half a percentage,” she continued. “Like they give us like $50,000 to $100,000 more dollars… That’s for teams, so it’s like, ‘Oh, well, you’re getting more money there.’ It’s like, no.”
The 29-year-old Missouri native slammed the WNBA for focusing on changes players did not request while ignoring revenue-sharing issues.
“It makes literally no sense… They keep coming back and changing literally like half percentages of things we’re not even asking,” she said. “I think like they won’t even talk about revenue share, but that is our whole fight is revenue share.”
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Cunningham expressed frustration that the league seemed more focused on appearing responsive than addressing the players’ most important concerns.
“I’m telling you, they are trying to throw money at anything and everything and change half percentages, saying they moved and saying that they’re listening to us,” the 6-foot-1 guard said.
“Yet our biggest thing they haven’t even touched is revenue share whatsoever. It’s like, revenue share is the main thing that we need you to touch on, and you’re not doing it.”
The WNBA and its players’ union are racing against time to finalize a new deal. The league said a term sheet for a new CBA must be agreed upon by March 10. If no agreement is reached before the deadline, a strike or lockout could occur. This could delay the 2026 season, which is scheduled to start on May 8.
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