Adam Silver, WNBA, salary
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton
October 23, 2025
'They are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining. And they deserve it.'
With the WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expiring in less than two weeks, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has reassured basketball fans that the players will “get a big increase” when they are offered a new CBA.
While appearing on the Today show, Silver discussed the CBA, which expires on Oct. 31, and what he believes will happen once the two sides meet. He also talked about what the players will receive with the new collective bargaining agreement with the WNBA.
Napheesa Collier, the Vice President of the WNBPA (The Women’s National Basketball Players Association), has already stated that there are “two main points” the players are seeking in the new CBA: increased revenue sharing and salary structures.
The Today show host, Craig Melvin, asked Silver if the players should get a larger piece of the revenue that the league brings in.
He said, “They get nine percent of total revenue compared to roughly 50 percent of the revenue of NBA players. Should they be getting a larger share of revenue in the WNBA?”
Silver reassured Melvin that the players will get increased salaries in the future, although he refrained from agreeing that the increase should not be based on “share.”
“Yes, I think ‘share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA. You should look at it in absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making. They are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining. And they deserve it.”
Market Watch reported that WNBA players receive 9.3% of their income from the league, as opposed to NBA players getting about 50% of their league’s income.
However, after watching Silver make that statement on the program, WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson gave a written statement to ESPN.
“When the players opted out a year ago, they made it clear they wanted a salary system that values their labor and allows them to grow with the business they are very clearly driving. The league’s response has been to run out the clock, put lipstick on a pig and retread a system that isn’t tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players.
The fact that the league now wants to call any part of its proposal ‘uncapped’ is precisely why its leadership, transparency and accountability are being challenged right now.
Adam Silver said it himself on behalf of the WNBA. ‘Share isn’t the word.’ It’s not in their vocabulary.”
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