wnba | Glamour

There was a buzz in the air at the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four weekend and it sounded a whole lot like “ca-ching.”

As the season’s top four college basketball teams prepared for the most important games of their collegiate careers, WNBA stars held court across downtown Phoenix, basking in the warm glow of their freshly signed collective bargaining agreement. The new CBA marks a turning point in women’s sports across the board, launching a new revenue-sharing model, significant salary increases, and other perks for veteran players and rookies alike.

That’s why Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association (WNBPA) president, Nneka Ogwumike, felt it was imperative to be on-site at Final Four weekend, where not one, but six WNBA draft prospects led UCLA to the school’s first-ever NCAA championship trophy. “We’ve really been doing our best to try and bridge this gap between the college ranks and the pros,” Ogwumike tells Glamour, advising outgoing seniors like UCLA’s Lauren Betts and UConn star Azzi Fudd to “savor every moment” as they prepare for next week’s WNBA draft in New York City.

“Especially coming into this draft, lives are really going to be changed with what we were able to gain out of this last agreement,” she adds, referencing the new rookie salary scale which ranges from around $290,000—$500,000 for this year’s first-round picks. For context, Caitlin Clark’s rookie salary as the 2024 first draft pick was $76,535.

“Women’s sports is completely on the rise—the viewership, the eyes, the attention, the fan bases,” says Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston. “It’s just at its peak right now and it’s super special because I know it’s just going to grow and thrive, and there’s no better feeling than that.”

Ogwumike and Boston spoke to Glamour at Togethxr House, a bustling hub of branded activations hosted by sports media company Togethxr. The space drew fans in with exclusive Final Four merch from Dick’s Sporting Goods, restorative yoga sessions with Aveeno, and plenty of opportunities to get up close with some of the league’s biggest stars, who stopped by for panels, live podcast tapings, and appearances as brand ambassadors (like I said, “cha-ching”).

Nneka Ogwumike stops by the Aveeno Oat Zone at Togethxr House for morning yoga.

Courtesy of Aveeno

Aliyah Boston stops by the Aveeno Oat Zone at Togethxr House.

Courtesy of Aveeno

“A few years ago it was nothing like this,” says sports fan and content creator Aliyah Funschell, who noticed a significant increase in major branding since her first time attending the Final Four in 2023. “It’s really cool to see a lot of brands putting their money where their mouth is and not just saying they’re supporting women’s sports, but really showing up in an authentic way that engages the fans and the community.”