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WNBA Opens 30th Season With Bigger Pay, Two New Teams and Clear Title Favorites

A landmark labor deal lifts pay, sharpening the focus on superteams.

Kate Martin of the Golden State Valkyries drives to the basket past Lexie Brown of the Seattle Storm in the first half of a WNBA preseason game at Chase Center in San Francisco on April 25, 2026.
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Overview

  • The league’s 30th season, which kicked off Friday, features debuting clubs in Toronto and Portland under expanded rules from a new labor deal.
  • A new collective bargaining agreement raises the team salary cap to $7 million, creates $1.4 million supermax contracts and lifts the No. 1 rookie salary to about $500,000.
  • Las Vegas returns as the champion with A’ja Wilson on a new supermax, while New York kept Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones and added Satou Sabally.
  • Indiana’s Caitlin Clark is back after playing 13 games last year and took part in preseason, as Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier remains out to recover from ankle surgeries.
  • The league plans to reach 18 teams by 2030, and rising ambitions reflect new investment, including Golden State’s push under owner Joe Lacob for a title by 2029.