The WNBA and its players are currently in the middle of a significant collective bargaining agreement negotiation. It doesn’t appear to be going well.
Both WNBA stars Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart have raised concerns to the WNBA Players Association regarding how negotiations are being handled. WNBA players – who start out making roughly $70,000 per season – are negotiating for much higher contracts.
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“When we and other players have attempted to express concerns about negotiations, we have been made to feel as though we are acting against the interests of the PA,” the letter from Plum and Stewart read, per ESPN. “Many other players across the league feel these same frustrations and have expressed them to us, but feel afraid or unable to speak out.”
Amid all of this, WNBA players have been going over their finances. One top WNBA star revealed that she had to cancel a luxury purchase immediately.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 09: Cameron Brink #22 of the Los Angeles Sparks looks on from the bench during the second half of the game against the Minnesota Lynx at Crypto.com Arena on July 09, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
(Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink hired a personal chef and was paying him $7,000 per month. However, she had to quickly cancel that purchase.
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Why?
Because the chef cost more than her entire monthly WNBA salary.
“I’m like, my contract is 70K. We cannot be doing that,” she said on her podcast with Sydel Curry-Lee. “That is more than my salary. That is more than my salary.”
Brink was called out for the decision
While Brink is surely making a lot more money through endorsements and brand deals, spending $7,000 per month when you’re making only $6,5000 in WNBA salary seems like a mistake.
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“I feel like simple preliminary math could have caught this ahead of time,” one fan wrote.
“She didn’t have a business advisor?” one fan wondered.
“Sounds like a completely reasonable salary expectation to be an indentured servant for rich people,” one fan added.
“That’s $140 per person per meal assuming 25 days 2 meals a day,” one fan added.
WNBA players are going to need to get significant raises in order to make personal chef money moving forward.
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This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
