WNBA Expansion: Time for Change? With new teams adding roster spots, is it time to reconsider the age restriction and give young players a chance to shine?

The Athletic on X: "Over the next five years, the WNBA will bring in five new teams… and at least 60 new roster spots. With this expansion, it's necessary to revisit the

**With WNBA Expansion, It’s Time to Drop the Age Restriction**

Over the next five years, the WNBA is set for its most ambitious growth ever: five new franchises will join the league, bringing at least 60 fresh roster spots and a seismic shift in the landscape of women’s pro basketball. For decades, the WNBA has earned its reputation as the “toughest league to crack” in professional sports. But as general managers from Toronto to Philadelphia scour the globe for talent, that barrier might finally be softening.

Just look at the Golden State Valkyries, this season’s trailblazing expansion team. GM Ohemaa Nyanin pieced together a roster from overlooked WNBA reserves and international standouts. The result? The Valkyries have shattered expectations and could become the first expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in their debut season.

Other new teams may follow suit, or they might rediscover veterans who’ve been out of the league or hidden gems who’ve been grinding overseas—players like Rebekkah Gardner, who went undrafted in 2012 but finally earned a WNBA spot at 31 and is now a key contributor for the New York Liberty. The players’ union insists there’s plenty of talent to keep the league’s standard high.

But with 60-plus new jobs opening up, it’s time for GMs to look somewhere else too: college underclassmen. And that means it’s time to revisit the WNBA’s age restriction—arguably the strictest in all of American pro sports. As the league and players’ association head into collective bargaining this winter, the moment for change is now.

WNBA players opt out of CBA: Salaries, long-term benefits among focus - ESPN

**A Rule Out of Step with Modern Sports**

Unlike the NBA, which allows players in just a year removed from high school, or the NWSL, which lets teams sign up to four players under 18, the WNBA’s rules are rigid. American players must turn 22 in the year of the draft, have graduated college within three months of the draft, or be four years removed from high school. International players must be at least 20.

The result? Almost no women’s basketball stars leave college early. Only Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young, and Satou Sabally have made the jump before their senior year in recent memory. Yet it’s clear there are plenty of college players with the skills and physicality to play pro ball before turning 22.

These age limits were designed to protect league veterans, but with so many new spots opening up, that argument is losing steam. If a player can’t compete with a 19-year-old, should they still be in the “toughest league in the world”?

**The NIL Era Has Changed Everything**

There’s another side to the story, too: money. Thanks to NIL deals and collectives, some college stars now earn more than the WNBA supermax salary. But that’s not true for everyone, and the biggest names—like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers—didn’t need four years of college to cash in on major endorsements.

JuJu Watkins, for example, built a national brand as a freshman at USC. If she’d had the chance to go pro after one year, she wouldn’t necessarily have taken a pay cut—especially if the WNBA finds creative ways to match the college collectives’ offers.

With WNBA expansion adding roster spots, it's time to drop the age restriction - Yahoo Sports

**Let the Players Choose**

At the end of the day, players should be able to decide for themselves when they’re ready to turn pro. Lowering the age limit would be good for ambitious young stars, for the teams that draft them, and for the league’s future. And with the WNBA’s tight calendar—draft, season, transfer portal—there’s room to allow players to withdraw from the draft if they change their minds.

Age restriction should be a bargaining chip in the next CBA. The Indiana Fever’s bottom line shows what a single superstar like Caitlin Clark can do for a franchise—and what if she’d been able to enter the league a year earlier? That’s leverage for all players.

Imagine what it would mean for rookie salaries, too. If you want the chance to draft the next JuJu Watkins or Flau’jae Johnson, you’d better be prepared to pay them what they’re worth. Their arrival could raise salaries for everyone.

**Not Every Teenager Will Go Pro—But Some Should**

If Caitlin Clark’s worth a ‘billion’ to WNBA, why is she paid only a fraction of that?

Dropping the age restriction doesn’t mean every 19-year-old will enter the draft. With roster limits still tight, teams can’t afford to stash raw prospects the way NBA teams can. But for those rare talents who are ready, the door should be open.

As the WNBA expands, the calculus changes. With over 210 roster spots, a rookie who can make an impact deserves a shot—especially as the league’s popularity and revenues soar thanks to its young stars.

**Learn from the NWSL**

When Olivia Moultrie was 15 and training with the Portland Thorns but barred from playing, she sued the NWSL and won. Two years later, she was a 17-year-old champion, living her dream and helping the league grow. Without her courage, she would have missed out on both the paycheck and the championship.

The WNBA shouldn’t wait for a lawsuit to open its doors to the next generation of stars. Not every teenager will jump, but the ones who can change the league shouldn’t have to wait—and neither should the fans.