WNBA players took the court prior to Saturday's All-Star Game wearing "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirts as the players and league prepare to engage in high-stakes contract negotiations.
The league has seen a surge in popularity since a new wave of stars, led by Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark, entered in recent years. Ratings are up, attendance is higher, and the league has garnered many new fans.
This surge in popularity means a league previously known for not being profitable could start seeing some of its teams turn a profit soon, Forbes reported earlier this year.
Players made it clear they want to see their incomes increase.
"We wanted to do something that was united as a collective, and I thought that it's a very powerful moment and got the point across," WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum told reporters on Saturday. "Sometimes, you don't have to say anything."
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League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert recognizes that the league has changed significantly since its last collective bargaining agreement in 2020.
"We were at a very different place in 2020 than we are in 2025. So, I think you'll see the revenue sharing be a much more lucrative one as we go forward because we're in a better place, quite frankly," she said. "We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits while balancing with our owners, their ability to have a path to profitability as well as continued investment. You see tens of millions of dollars being invested in practice facilities and other player experiences by teams. We want to strike the right balance between those two so that can continue."
One factor influencing these negotiations is that the league is expanding its footprint. Toronto, Portland, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit are slated to receive expansion teams by 2030, which will bring the league to a total of 18 teams.
"I would say we have entered this period over the last two years that I call hyper-growth. We're not going to be in hyper-growth forever. No company ever is. It's how to continue to sustain this momentum and ultimately globalize our game," the commissioner said.
She added, "I just come back to the players and the elite level of play they're putting on the court. I respect what they do every day. I'm so thrilled to represent them because I think they're helping lift all of women's sports and, quite frankly, girls and women in society."
