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Minnesota Lynx Star Napheesa Collier Goes Scorched Earth On WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert After Playoff Elimination

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WNBA star Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx

© Chris Jones/Imagn


Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier spared no quarter for WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert in her postseason exit interview on Tuesday, to the point where it’s hard to envision how Engelbert moves forward in her position.

With the league locked in an impending labor standoff, Engelbert has drawn the ire of several big-name players in the last year. But none went as far as Collier did after she and her Minnesota teammates lost in the playoff semifinals to the Phoenix Mercury.

Collier was injured late in Game 3 of the series, leading to a historic crash-out by Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who was later hit with the largest fine in league history.

Napheesa Collier Goes On Four-Minute Rant Against WNBA Commissioner

Collier began her press conference by congratulating the Mercury. But it didn’t take long until she got on the topic of Engelbert, and once she did, there was no stopping.

“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,” Collier said. “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.”

“…At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league,” she continued. “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 (Clark), Angel (Reese) and Paige (Bueckers), 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.'”

Napheesa Collier Co-Owns A WNBA Competitor

Earlier in the year, Collier stood accused of attempting to collude with former college teammate and fellow Unrivaled co-owner Breanna Stewart to sabotage CBA negotiations between the WNBA and its players.

The theory suggested that Collier, Stewart, and the Unrivaled league had the most to gain from a WNBA collapse. Collier quickly laughed off the notion.

But her comments on Tuesday brought the theory back to the forefront.

“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,” she said.  “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.”

Has Engelbert made missteps? Sure, every commissioner does. And the league may well have seen a huge step forward with or without her due to young players like Clark, Reese and Bueckers.

But it sure feels as if Collier, more than anything else, is trying to create a power struggle that would benefit the league that she owns. And it’s one that could result in a lockout for the WNBA at the worst possible time.