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The WNBA, unlike the NBA, does not hold a name as the standout best-case scenario for players and their financial well-being. Other international leagues can be more lucrative and offer better benefits to players in comparison to the WNBA. Solutions to change the status quo for the W have been pondered, and the "prioritization rule" is an example.
The "prioritization rule" refers to a set of clauses activated through player contracts that are aimed at getting players to pick the W over other leagues.
While it primarily targets experienced international players, the rule has come to the forefront of discussion with the expected selection of Dominique Malonga with one of the top three picks in the 2025 draft.
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The rule and how it operated in 2024 essentially states that players with three or more years of experience in the WNBA must be with their teams by the start of training camp or May 1, whichever comes later, failing which they will be suspended from participation in the entire season.
To comply, players who meet the criterion set in the rule have to abandon any national team obligations or plans of representing other teams overseas to pick the W as their first-choice league to play in.
Malonga has been labeled the "Female Wemby" and is expected to be a star in women's basketball sooner rather than later. However, limiting national team commitments and the ability to play abroad could disincentivize players like Malonga from staying in the WNBA for long, and calls to remove the rule that came into practice in 2023 are at an all-time high.
The 'Prioritization Rule' could be a key point of discussion in the WNBA's new CBA
Attracting fewer international prospects could see a reduction in the quality of the WNBA and its attractiveness as a truly international league. With the NBA, for example, growing into a larger number of countries and democratizing basketball across the globe, the W stands to benefit by easing the limitations aimed at getting players to pick the league over competitors.
The league's existing collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at the end of the 2025 Finals in November, and with foreign players likely to be represented well within the players' association, a strong push for removing the "prioritization rule" is likely.
Having players of Dominique Malonga's caliber can only improve the competition in the league, and having international stars also brings more eyes to the W. Restrictive covenants in sports have never gone down well in the long term, and it could be time to reconsider the "prioritization rule" and to improve the value offered to players instead to incentivize them to pick the WNBA over other leagues.
