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On March 18th, WNBA athletes received news they’d been waiting for.

After sixteen months of negotiations, the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and the WNBA Player’s Association (WNBPA) has reached a tentative agreement.

And that agreement? It’s changing the game for women in the WNBA and setting the tone for women athletes everywhere.

What is a CBA?

CBA stands for Collective Bargaining Agreement. It’s an agreement between an employer—like the WNBA—and the labor union that advocates for the employees—in this case, that’s the WNBPA.

These written contracts lay out the nitty gritty details of employment, like salary scales, vacation time, benefits, and more.

For the WNBA, a CBA goes over player salary, travel accommodations, benefits, rosters, and other player-based financial items.

There have been six CBAs in the thirty years of the WNBA—1999, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2020, and 2026.

And this one just means more.