Minnesota Lynx guard Napheesa Collier blasted WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for “the worst leadership in the world” in a resounding statement that sent shockwaves around the league on Tuesday.
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said in reading from a prepared statement lasting more than four minutes.
Collier, a face of the league and runner-up for WNBA Most Valuable Player for the second season in a row, also criticized the league office for what she perceives as a “lack of accountability.”
“I want to be clear this conversation is not about winning or losing,” Collier began, referencing a written statement in front of her at her season-ending press conference. “It’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”
She also revealed Engelbert purportedly made alarming comments in a conversation in February about players’ compensation, an unsettled issue for a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA Players Association and the league. Collier wanted to know why star players like Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings aren’t making more money while on their rookie contracts.
“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” Collier said. “Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’
“And in that same conversation,” Collier continued, “she told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that (she) got them.
“That’s the mentality driving our league from the top. We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them,” she said.
The league office released a response from Engelbert later Tuesday afternoon.
“I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA,” Engelbert said. “Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league. My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game. I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.”
The Lynx star’s statement, however, made waves around the sport. Reese shared and liked the video of Collier’s exit press conference with the caption: “10/10. No notes.”
Collier’s criticisms followed the scathing comments made by her coach, Cheryl Reeve, about the officiating following the top-seeded Lynx’s 84-76 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday in Game 3 of their semifinal playoff series.
Collier injured her left ankle in the final seconds of the game when no foul was called on the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas, who stripped the ball from her and made a steal. Reeve was ejected for arguing for a foul, and her conduct and postgame comments got the veteran coach suspended by the league for one game.
Without Reeve and Collier, who watched Game 4 in a walking boot, the Lynx were eliminated by the Mercury. Collier said on Tuesday that she tore some ligaments and severely sprained the ankle, and she wouldn’t have been able to play if the Lynx, who had the league’s best record in the regular season, had made a return trip to the WNBA Finals.
“Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity of which it operates,” Collier, who turned 29 on Sept. 23, said on Tuesday.
“Whether the league cares about the health of our players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage. Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”
Reeve was fined $15,000 for her comments and conduct, ESPN reported on Monday. Collier said she is not worried about getting fined by the league for her comments.
“Our leadership’s answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone’s voices by handing out fines,” Collier said. “I’m not concerned about a fine. I’m concerned about the future of our sport. At some point, everyone deserves to hear the truth, from someone who I hope has earned the benefit of the doubt to fight for what is right and fair for our athletes and our fans.
“We serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable, and that’s fine, it’s professional sports. But I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level.”
Collier has averaged 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 blocks in 193 regular-season games (all starts) in her career. She is a five-time All-Star in seven seasons, all with Minnesota. She was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2019 and first-team All-WNBA in 2023 and 2024.
Collier’s full statement can be read below:
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate the Mercury for advancing to the Finals. I want to be clear this conversation is not about winning or losing, it’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office. Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity with which it operates.
“Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage. Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders. The league has a buzzword that they rolled out as a talking point for the CBA as to why they can’t pay the players what we’re worth; that word is sustainability. But what’s truly unsustainable is keeping a good product on the floor while allowing officials to lose control of games. Fans see it every night. Coaches, both winning and losing, point it out every night in pre- and post-game media. And leadership just issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging them to fix. That is negligence.
“At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league. Her response was, ‘Well, only the losers complain about the refs.’ I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years. Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $60 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’
“In that same conversation, she told me, ‘Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.’ That’s the mentality driving our league from the top. We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.
“I have the privilege of watching my husband run a league where he has to balance 100 different things at once. I won’t pretend the job is easy, but even with all of that on his plate, he always reaches out to players when he sees an injury, whether it’s Unrivaled or even during the WNBA season. That is what leadership looks like. It’s the human element, it’s basic integrity, and it’s the bare minimum any leader should embody. But do you know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy. Not one call, not one text. Instead the only outreach has come from her No. 2 telling my agent that she doesn’t believe physical play is contributing to injuries.
“That is infuriating. And it’s the perfect example of the tone deaf, dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take. I’ve finally grown tired. For too long, I’ve tried to have these conversations in private, but it’s clear there’s no intention of accepting there’s a problem. The league has made it clear it isn’t about innovation, it isn’t about collaboration, it’s about control and power. I’ve earned this platform and I paid the price to get here, and now I have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the fans and everyone in this league that deserves better.
“Our leadership’s answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone’s voices by handing out fines. I’m not concerned about a fine. I’m concerned about the future of our sport. At some point, everyone deserves to hear the truth from someone who I hope has earned the benefit of the doubt to fight for what is right and fair for our athletes and our fans. We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world.
“If I didn’t know exactly what the job entailed, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way, but unfortunately for them, I do. We serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable, and that’s fine, it’s professional sports. But I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level.”
–Field Level Media
