Talbot warns WNBA pay boom may reshape WNBL

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More money in the WNBA could have an impact on the WNBL, Adelaide Lightning and WNBA veteran Steph Talbot has warned.

"They might look to take their off-season off for their bodies and skill development," the Adelaide Lightning star told news wire service AAP.

"I'm a bit older, my WNBA career is probably something closer to an end.

"But for sure, if I were a bit younger, and making good money playing in America, it would definitely be an option."

The WNBA and Players' Association is the middle of a negotiation that would deliver the league's superstars a more than 340% pay increase as part of the collective bargain agreement (CBA). The second deadline for agreement is December 1, 2025 (AEDT) but there is no resolution as yet.

Today, the WNBA's supermax deal is USD $249,244 but the new CBA pushes that to $1.1M as early as next season.

It is proposed the minimum salary will go from USD $66K to $220,000, which is a 233% increase.

The Athletic reports: "Sunday night marks the expiration, and significant gaps remain, especially regarding the league’s salary system going forward, sources with knowledge of the discussions."

Many of the world's elite women's basketballers sign with an another team during the WNBA off-season, including in Australia to supplement their income and increase their earning power. There were eight Australians in the WNBA in the 2025 season.

Australian Opals and Washington Mystics point guard Jade Melbourne, 23, leads the UC Capitals in the WNBL.

"For a lot of the Australian players that do play in the WNBA, it's going to come down to enjoyment, but also what has the best price. The way they're talking in the WNBA, that could be the option going forward,” Melbourne said.

"I'm also young, and sitting on my bed doing nothing really annoys me. If I can do both, I can, but it might get to a point where the States might be my best option, and I'd have an off-season."

The WNBA collective bargaining agreement comes as NBA managing director for Europe and the Middle East George Aivazoglou revealed NBA Europe could be playing games in a new league starting October 2027.

Aivazoglou revealed 12 European cities have been identified for permanent franchises and four "merit-based" teams in a 16-team competition, foreshadowing a relegation and promotion system much like football on the continent.

"We're thinking of London and Manchester for the United Kingdom, Paris and Lyon for France, Madrid and Barcelona for Spain, Milan and Rome for Italy, Berlin and Munich for Germany, plus one each in Athens and Istanbul, to also strike a balance with values ​​like history and tradition," Aivazoglou said at the Football Business Forum in Bocconi in Milan, Italy, organised by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"(It will be) a semi-open formula of 16 teams, 12 permanent and four based on sporting merit: one could be the winner of the Basketball Champions League organised by FIBA, which is our partner, and the other three spots could come from the winners of the national leagues."

"If we can come through with a breakthrough deal, it's going to be pretty big, and something that all women's sports can model," Melbourne said.

"We're not just doing this for the 156 players that were in the WNBA this season.

"This deal is going to have a lot more significance for a lot of people."

The WNBA collective bargaining agreement, coupled with the launch of NBA Europe and the prospect of the new rival league Project B, which WNBA players are already signing up for, will undoubtedly reshape the world basketball landscape.

How it will impact the WNBL and NBL with recruiting and attracting bums-on-seats talent is still uncertain.

But the WNBL's new collective bargaining agreement, negotiated after the new ownership took control earlier this year has increased the salary cap and wages.

The WNBL minimum wage will more than double in the next four years after the new owners and Australian Basketball Players' Association agreed a historic four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement.

WNBL players minimum wages will increase by 104% to $46,900 by the 2028-29 season under the new CBA with the deal established pro-rata minimum wage parity with the NBL from year three of the agreement.

The salary cap floor for the league will also be raised with the WNBL and ABPA committing to an annual increase of 7%, the cap reaching more than $723,500 by the end of the new CBA.

WNBL CEO Jennie Sager said the agreement was a strong foundation for the league’s future, providing stability for players while inspiring young athletes.

“This is more than a pay deal — it’s a declaration of intent,” Sager said.

“It’s creating an environment where players can thrive on and off the court. With this agreement, we are not only delivering pay parity, but we are investing and supporting the wellbeing and careers of our athletes.

“This is the kind of change that retains talent in Australia and signals to every young girl picking up a basketball that there is a future here.”