The NBA and WNBA reached a new $76 billion TV rights deal with Walt Disney, NBC and Amazon that boosts the payout for NBA clubs by more than 150% on average. The news is even better for the WNBA clubs, which will receive a 500% gain on what they previously made.
But not everyone in the pro basketball ecosystem is cheering today.
“We have wondered for months how the NBA would value the WNBA in its media rights deal,” Terri Carmichael Jackson, WNBPA executive director, said in a statement provided to Sportico by a union representative. “With a reportedly $75 billion deal on the table, the league is in control of its own destiny. More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA. We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation—if initial reports are accurate or even close.”
The WNBA’s share of the new agreement is worth $2.2 billion over 11 years, according to someone familiar with the details who was not authorized to speak publicly. The $200 million annual average is a 6x increase on the $30 million a year average ESPN previously paid.
The new pact was struck while attendance, TV ratings, social engagement, revenue and every other metric has soared for the WNBA, fueled by Caitlin Clark and other young stars. The 2024 WNBA Draft drew 2.45 million viewers, five times as many as the previous year. Clark’s games versus the Chicago Sky and Angel Reese set multi-decade highs for WNBA viewership.
Last month, the Washington Post reported that the new media deals would not assign a specific figure to the WNBA rights but would be determined by the NBA instead. The leagues negotiated their TV rights together, but the WNBA and NBA do have different term sheets that the NBA owners voted on Tuesday.
“Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that in the last few years, we have seen unprecedented growth across all metrics, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand, and that the fans keep showing up,” Jackson said. “There is no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again.”
Jackson is questioning the media deal while the union has a major decision ahead with the option to opt out of its collective bargaining agreement after the current season—the CBA is scheduled to run through 2027. The highest-paid WNBA player is Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young with a base salary of $252,400 this year. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry earned $51.9 million last season from the Golden State Warriors.
