The WNBA is drawing packed crowds to the final game between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, but league owners won't be able to recoup their investment for some time, a person familiar with the situation said.
The NBA owns nearly 60 percent of the league.
NBA owners' personal stakes in WNBA teams and the WNBA itself add up to 75 percent, a person with direct knowledge of the numbers said.
NBA team owners have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the WNBA since its creation in 1996, according to sources.
“The WNBA owes so much to the NBA that we won't see a windfall for years,” an NBA team executive told the Post.
The WNBA will suffer a loss of $40 million this season, which is slightly better than the WNBA's loss. $50 million forecast and report Sources say the company is still in the red, despite multiple media reports several months ago.
Starting with the 2026 season, the WNBA will receive up to $2.2 billion over 11 years as part of a new basketball media deal.
That means the WNBA will likely receive at least $100 million more annually than the roughly $60 million it currently receives from domestic media deals.
The WNBA also plans to expand its regular season and playoff schedule to generate more revenue.
However, the players are expected to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement by the Nov. 1 deadline, and if they opt out, they will likely receive a salary increase, which the league expects in 2026. That would eat up $60 million in profits ($100). M in television revenue turned an expected loss of $40 million into a profit of $60 million.
“We don't even get a dime from the WNBA's expansion funds,” said an NBA team executive. NBA owners receive revenue from NBA expansion fees.
So when Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob agreed last year to pay a $50 million expansion fee over 10 years to start a WNBA team, Raptors minority owner Larry Tannenbaum That means he paid neither when he paid $115 million for the Toronto team and the construction of a new practice center this year. Proceeds were donated to NBA owners.
Some NBA owners want more transparency from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver about when the suddenly popular WNBA will return.
Sources say New York Knicks owner James Dolan has been pushing for Silver behind the scenes.
“There are a lot of owners who consider Dolan their hero for forcing Silver to ask these questions, but Silver hasn't given us any answers,” said an NBA team executive.
Mr. Dolan declined to comment.
“WNBA financial information, including detailed reports on revenues and expenses, is shared with both the NBA and the WNBA Board of Governors,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass told the Post, but did not comment. I refrained.
“That's somewhat of an issue and they're integrating it with the NBA financials,” a team executive said. “By integrating the numbers, you don't have to break down any numbers.”
Sunday's Game 2 of the WNBA Finals was watched by an average of 1.34 million viewers on ABC, ESPN announced. Last season's NBA Finals averaged just over 12 million viewers per game.
