In Honor of the WNBA’s CBA Deal, We’re Throwing It Back to the 2022 SI Swimsuit Issue

Following more than a year of negotiations, the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA) have reached a lucrative deal. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which was reached on March 18, the WNBPA and league agreed upon parameters for boosted salaries and benefits for professional athletes.

The verbal agreement reportedly includes a salary cap of $7 million (up from $1.5 million in 2025), as well as player revenue sharing rising to 20% of league revenue, up from 9.3%. Yesterday, the WNBPA released a statement via Instagram that summarized the incredible impact of the accomplishments reached with the new CBA. The agreement will also reportedly raise average salaries to $600,000 with a $300,000 minimum (the average WNBA player salary was roughly $120,000 in 2025).

“For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars, and raising the professional standard across facilities, staffing and support,” Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA wrote. “It strengthens housing and retirement, and expands resources for family planning and parental leave. It redefines what it means to be a professional in this league.”

She later added, “The agreement is a direct result of our players’ commitment to ownership—of their value and their future—and the strength of a player-led union. It is an honor to represent this group of women, and we will continue to push forward, raising the bar for all women across sports and beyond.”

Ogwumike, a forward for the Seattle Storm, was elected to her position in 2016 and has held it ever since. The 35-year-old professional athlete, who is a 10-time WNBA All-Star, was instrumental in reaching yesterday’s verbal agreement, and her fight for equal pay is one she was advocating for back on the SI Swimsuit set in 2022. That year, she and fellow WNBA athletes, including Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, Te’a Cooper and DiDi Richards, posed for the annual issue in St. Thomas.

“It’s a deal that’s changing lives in real time, and also for generations to come,” Ogwumike stated of the groundbreaking deal on Good Morning America earlier today, adding that the agreed upon salary increase is the biggest salary jump in the history of professional sports.

In honor of the lucrative agreement and the forthcoming 30th season of the WNBA set to tip off in May, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorite snapshots of Ogwumike on the SI Swimsuit set in St. Thomas.

Nneka Ogwumike was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by Pursuit the Label. | Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated

Nneka Ogwumike was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by HAUS OF PINKLEMONAID. Necklace by Martha Calvo. | Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated