On October 1, 2026, the WNBA named Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese "the 2026 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year." She received 46 votes from a panel of 74 sportswriters and broadcasters, and the release says she "will receive $30,000 and a trophy." Look at the name of the award. A car brand sponsors it.
So what happens when a player wins a sponsored award and has her own deal with a competitor? The WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement answers that in writing. The award came in the first season under that agreement, which runs through January 15, 2033, and which the league and union called "the most transformational labor agreement in women's professional sports." The money moved too: "The Salary Cap for the 2026 Salary Cap Year shall be $7,000,000," and a "Supermax Salary" is "twenty percent (20%) of the Salary Cap." That's the pay side. For brands signing WNBA players, this is the fine print that sits above your contract.
Takeaway #1: The player accepts the award. Her sponsor can't stop it.
FROM THE CONTRACT
"... any player named a recipient of any such Award shall be required to accept such Award notwithstanding the terms of any Bona Fide Exclusive Endorsement Agreement or conflict between a Player's Bona Fide Licensee and the Award sponsor, (ii) that such Award sponsor shall be entitled to reasonably announce the fact that the player won the Award in the promotion of its Award sponsorship (e.g., in a congratulatory advertisement) ..."
What it means for you. If a player's exclusive deal is with one automaker and the award is sponsored by another, she still accepts the award. The award sponsor can run a congratulations ad. It can also make "reasonable use" of the player's attributes in that promotion. There's a limit, though. The same section bars the league from letting an award sponsor use a player's attributes "in a manner that would constitute an endorsement or testimonial for any product or service by such player."
Section 2(d) backs that up: the league's rights don't include "any right to use Player Attributes in a manner that creates an endorsement or testimonial for any third party product or service." So the sponsor gets "congratulations," not "she drives our car." Nobody's saying Reese has a conflicting deal; we don't know her contracts. The clause applies to every player.
Your move. Brands: don't promise yourself category exclusivity the league contract already carves out. Write the award exception into your deal so nobody's surprised in October.
Takeaway #2: The CBA wins every conflict
FROM THE CONTRACT
"Any sponsorship, endorsement or licensing agreement (including any agreement with regard to footwear) entered into by a player during the term of her Standard Player Contract must expressly provide that any provisions of such agreement that conflict or are inconsistent with any provisions of either this Agreement, the License Agreement, or the player's Standard Player Contract shall be of no force or effect."
What it means for you. Every WNBA player's sponsor deal is supposed to say, in its own text, that the league documents win. The next clause, §2(b), says a player can't appear in ads for a non-league sponsor if the ad "creates an association between the WNBA (or any of its Teams)" and the brand. That includes using "Team colors" or "any WNBA arena, WNBA practice facility or WNBA basketball."
The devil is in the details. A shoot on a practice court, in team colors, with the league ball is the exact picture the clause forbids, unless you're a league sponsor or licensee. Players can also be asked to do "up to six (6) commercial appearances" each season and the following off-season for league sponsors, with at least seven days' notice. Those can't conflict with a player's existing exclusive endorsement deal.
Your move. Brands and agencies: add the §2(a) language to your template, shoot in neutral settings and colors, and schedule around the league's appearance window. Reps: send the brand the CBA pages before the first call.
And always remember, don't sign it till you read it, my friends.
General information, not legal advice. Reading this doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. Talk to a lawyer about your own deal.
