WNBA and players’ union complete long-form CBA 2 months after reaching transformative deal

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its gamers’ union accomplished the long-form model of the league’s collective bargaining settlement on Friday, two months after the edges got here to phrases on the transformative deal.

The brand new CBA, which runs by 2032, resulted within the first million-dollar gamers in league historical past as salaries elevated almost fivefold from the earlier contract. In all, 31 gamers will earn over $1 million this season, with a number of — together with four-time MVP A’ja Wilson — making the utmost of $1.4 million. The deal additionally contains the primary complete revenue-sharing mannequin in girls’s skilled sports activities.

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One other provision that the union negotiated was to provide a one-time veteran recognition payout to retired gamers primarily based on years of service. Within the ultimate model of the CBA, any retired participant who has received the league’s MVP award would get bumped as much as the utmost fee of $100,000 that was designated for gamers with 12 years or extra of service, in line with an individual conversant in the doc. The particular person spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of the CBA hadn’t been made public.

Elena Delle Donne, a two-time MVP, performed 10 years earlier than retiring so she would obtain the veteran profit. She had been in line to obtain $50,000.

The perimeters got here to an settlement on a time period sheet on March 19 after eight days of in-person negotiations. The gamers ratified the deal 4 days later and the WNBA Board of Governors a day after that.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball