The moment the women’s basketball world has been waiting for is finally here. Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson — widely regarded as the greatest player in the WNBA today — is expected to re-sign with her team on a supermax deal worth $1.4 million annually, following the landmark new collective bargaining agreement reached between the WNBA and its players. For anyone who has followed how long and how hard these women have fought for fair compensation, this number is not just a contract figure. It is a statement.
A’ja Wilson’s $1.4M Supermax Contract Signals a New Era for the WNBA
Shortly after the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association announced a tentative new collective bargaining agreement, reports emerged that Wilson had agreed to stay with the Las Vegas Aces — and that she would do so under the new supermax structure. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Wilson is among approximately 80% of the league’s players currently in free agency, and once the CBA is officially certified by both players and the league, teams can begin signing players.
The new supermax salary of $1.4 million per year represents a seismic shift from what Wilson was previously earning. Under her two-year extension signed in 2023, she was making just $200,000 annually — a number that did not even reach the old supermax threshold of $249,000. That means the best player in the league was being paid less than the previous maximum for superstar players. The absurdity of that gap is now, finally, being addressed.
The new deal is not just significant for Wilson personally. It sets a new financial benchmark for what elite women’s basketball talent is worth — and sends a clear message to every player currently in the league and every young girl watching from the stands that this sport values its best.
The Record-Breaking Career Behind the Record-Breaking Contract
To understand why this contract matters, it helps to understand just how extraordinary A’ja Wilson’s career has been. She is the first player in either WNBA or NBA history to win the league scoring title, Most Valuable Player award, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP all in the same season. That combination of offensive dominance, defensive excellence, and championship performance has no precedent in professional basketball — across either league.
Furthermore, Wilson has joined NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell as the only other player in professional basketball history to win three MVPs and three championships within a four-season span. Russell is widely considered one of the greatest winners in the history of team sports. The fact that Wilson now shares that distinction is a reflection of just how historically significant her career has been.
She is a four-time league MVP. She is a champion. She is a generational talent by every statistical and qualitative measure available — and for most of her career, she was being compensated accordingly. The new deal begins to correct that, even if it has taken far too long to arrive.
What the New WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement Means for All Players
Wilson’s supermax deal is the headline, but the new CBA delivers meaningful improvements for players at every level of the league. Under the new agreement, the WNBA salary cap increases to $7 million — up from just $1.5 million last season. That is not a modest adjustment. It is a fundamental restructuring of the financial foundation on which the league operates.
Additionally, the revenue share for players increases to nearly 20%, up from the reported 9.3% under the previous CBA. The expected average salary is now in the range of $600,000, and the minimum yearly pay has been raised to above $300,000. Taken together, these changes represent the most significant financial advancement in the history of the league — and a long-overdue acknowledgment that the women of the WNBA deserve a fair share of the revenue their talent generates.
The agreement also provides immediate practical protection. It prevents the WNBA from locking out players for the upcoming season, which is scheduled to begin May 8, provided both parties complete the signing process without complications. For fans eager to see the new season tip off, that assurance is welcome news.
The Bigger Picture: Equal Pay and Women’s Sports in 2026
Wilson’s expected $1.4 million salary will generate significant discussion — and it should. On one hand, it represents a massive leap forward from what she was previously earning and marks genuine progress in the fight for fair compensation in women’s sports. On the other hand, $1.4 million remains a fraction of what the highest-paid male basketball players earn, and that gap is still a conversation worth having openly and honestly.
What this moment does represent, without question, is momentum. The WNBA’s new CBA, the record-breaking viewership numbers the league has posted in recent seasons, and the growing commercial investment in women’s basketball have all created conditions that make deals like this one possible. The sport is growing, the audience is growing, and the financial recognition is — slowly but meaningfully — growing alongside it.
A’ja Wilson did not just play her way to this contract. She played her way into history, repeatedly and across multiple dimensions, until the numbers on her paycheck had no choice but to reflect what everyone watching already knew. She is the best. And now, finally, she is being paid closer to what the best deserves.