Basketball

RandySF

(82,872 posts) Mon Feb 23, 2026, 11:53 AM 18 hrs ago

WNBA made enough money in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing

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.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48014819/union-wnba-made-enough-money-revenue-sharing

9 replies

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WNBA made enough money in 2025 to trigger revenue sharing (Original Post) RandySF 18 hrs ago OP

Gee, isn't that what all - werdna 17 hrs ago #1

I don't get it. RandySF 16 hrs ago #2

Many employers offer profit sharing to their employees. MichMan 13 hrs ago #5

That's hard to say. RandySF 13 hrs ago #8

$8M/13 teams Marcuse 14 hrs ago #3

And that was before the new television deals kicked in. RandySF 14 hrs ago #4

There are 15 teams; why are only 13 of them getting revenue sharing? MichMan 13 hrs ago #6

There were 13 teams during the 2025 season. RandySF 13 hrs ago #7

Thanks MichMan 12 hrs ago #9

werdna

(1,222 posts)

1. Gee, isn't that what all -

Reply to RandySF (Original post)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 12:55 PM

17 hrs ago

- corporations do with their obscenely excess profits? Or was that only a dream I had when i was last feverish?

RandySF

(82,872 posts)

2. I don't get it.

Reply to werdna (Reply #1)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 01:40 PM

16 hrs ago

The league is sharing money with their workers.

MichMan

(16,972 posts)

5. Many employers offer profit sharing to their employees.

Reply to RandySF (Reply #2)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 04:54 PM

13 hrs ago

After incurring losses for years, there were no WNBA revenues to share until now.

RandySF

(82,872 posts)

8. That's hard to say.

Reply to MichMan (Reply #5)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 05:07 PM

13 hrs ago

The CBA has an arbitrary revenue number to trigger sharing whether the league turns a profit or not. I've read that the league factored in the 2020 season when they played in a "bubble" to show losses in 2021-2924 (rolling average). I do know that the Connecticut Sun and NY Liberty were turning profits and the Chicago Sky made its first profit in 2024 with the acquisition of Angel Reese. The league does not share their accounting with the players' association to this day.

Marcuse

(8,887 posts)

3. $8M/13 teams

Reply to RandySF (Original post)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 03:59 PM

14 hrs ago

RandySF

(82,872 posts)

4. And that was before the new television deals kicked in.

Reply to Marcuse (Reply #3)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 04:03 PM

14 hrs ago

MichMan

(16,972 posts)

6. There are 15 teams; why are only 13 of them getting revenue sharing?

Reply to RandySF (Original post)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 04:57 PM

13 hrs ago

RandySF

(82,872 posts)

7. There were 13 teams during the 2025 season.

Reply to MichMan (Reply #6)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 05:02 PM

13 hrs ago

MichMan

(16,972 posts)

9. Thanks

Reply to RandySF (Reply #7)

Mon Feb 23, 2026, 05:41 PM

12 hrs ago

I have very little interest in basketball as a sport. I find the application of the rules extremely frustrating.

Traveling is almost never called, a offensive player charging to the net can mow down defensive players, and they receive a foul for being in the way, brush someone's shoulder when they are shooting and it's a foul, but players in the lane without the ball are draped all over each other, and then all the intentional fouls in the last couple minutes dragging out the end of the game for what seems like eternity. Yet, they say intentionally fouling is not permitted.

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