The WNBA has experienced significant growth in recent years. However, as of now, the upbeat tone has been replaced by a more grim one. One of the primary reasons for this has been the CBA negotiations. With WNBA athletes demanding a better revenue share than the current 9%, the situation has escalated quickly. And one of the biggest additions to the drama has been Cathy Engelbert’s recent dispute with Napheesa Collier.
Following her recent comments about Caitlin Clark and others, Collier lashed out at the WNBA commissioner. However, as Engelbert has denied commenting on Clark’s earnings, the debate has not died down at all. And now, an anonymous WNBA insider has revealed some grim details about the fate of the WNBA commissioner.
Cathy Engelbert To Part Ways With The WNBA?
Collier dropped a bomb as she openly criticized Engelbert’s role in ensuring fair pay for the athletes. She pointed out that WNBA players receive a 9% annual revenue share. Now, when compared to the 50% share that NBA athletes receive, the difference seems huge. The Lynx star highlighted the fact and stated that the league leadership is not doing enough to ensure financial stability for their athletes. Collier also went ahead and called the WNBA leadership the ‘worst.’
Meanwhile, in a recent article on TSN by Ramona Shelbourne and Kendra Andrews, some shocking details have emerged. As the situation with Engelbert looks quite sensitive, an anonymous WNBA insider stated, “She’s already unpopular. So let her be the bad guy in CBA negotiations, then replace her.”
Napheesa Collier’s full statement today, where she challenged Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA with directness and stunning detail we rarely hear from active players. Worth listening to every word. pic.twitter.com/IRTvTc52EA
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 30, 2025
Now, that was quite a big statement to come in. With the CBA negotiations taking over the discussions, a change is leadership is looking evident. And that is not all.
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According to the TSN article, a senior executive said to ESPN, “There is a root cause, and it’s lack of transparency, lack of trust in the league and the relationship between the players and the league. You can get transparency overnight. But trust is not built overnight. And [Engelbert has] lost it. She can’t get it back overnight.” Meanwhile, despite rumors about her resignation, Engelbert has reaffirmed her commitment to the league.
Cathy Engelbert Wants To Focus On The Growth Of The WNBA
The Minnesota Lynx star not only criticized Engelbert publicly. But Collier also canceled her meeting with the WNBA commissioner. Considering recent developments, it appeared that the WNBA commissioner would be resigning from her position. However, as it turns out, Engelbert has no plans to step down from her post. In a recent statement, Engelbert strongly stated that she will continue to show her loyalty towards the WNBA.
“I’ve never been a quitter, never shied away from tough situations, I think leadership, the cream always rises to the top and I’ve always been someone who believes in the fact that we have, if there’s things we need to fix, we’re going to fix ’em. If there’s things the players have a perspective on that they don’t like that we’re doing or I’m doing, we’ll fix,” Engelbert said.
It certainly appears that the situation surrounding the CBA negotiations is becoming murkier with each passing day. And as things stand by now, it remains to be seen how normalcy is restored.