The situation in the WNBA is very volatile after Napheesa Collier fired shots at the league commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. Her accusations were serious as the Lynx star spoke about their internal communications, including comments on Caitlin Clark,
Cathy Engelbert denied the comments about Clark’s earnings and only once mentioned other Collier’s accusations.
Collier and the WNBA Commissioner had a meeting after the exchange. However, the 28-year-old forward canceled the meet, which, according to WNBA analysts, highlights strained relationships between the two.
WNBA Analyst Claims Broken Relationship Between Napheesa Collier And Cathy Engelbert
To settle the differences and get things in line before the CBA negotiations discussion, this meeting between the former UConn star and WNBA Commissioner was important. But as the WNBPA’s vice president decided to avoid the meeting, analyst Kendra Andrews draws a conclusion.
She first mentioned that there was no communication from the Lynx star regarding the cancellation of the meeting, and then added that a league source confirmed that Collier’s cancellation had pushed the relationship beyond repair.
However, the player is not to blame, according to a senior league executive. “This is an inflection point for the league. There is a root cause, and it’s a lack of transparency, a 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,” a senior executive from WNBA told ESPN.
NEWS: Napheesa Collier has canceled her meeting with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert scheduled for next week. 👀 pic.twitter.com/N4g4cW4rhF
— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) October 4, 2025
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Analyst Chiney Ogwumike also gave a reality check to Cathy Engelbert on avoiding tough conversations with players as she assessed the situation. The entire scenario suggests that the WNBA commissioner remains confident in addressing the shortfalls and sealing the CBA negotiations before the end of the season.
ESPN Analyst Blasts Caty Engelbert’s Passive Response To Napheesa Collier’s Speech
Andraya Carter also chimed in with her views, but was critical of the top executive’s response. She mentioned that even though Engelbert spoke on the topic, that was not enough and raises many questions. She slammed Engelbert’s passive response to Collier’s speech, as the executive only said that the Lynx’s star’s claims shocked her.
“Instead, she said, ‘There have been a lot of inaccurate statements,’ I just have more questions. What is the answer? I’m not feeling confident. When you are asked a question, you should probably answer that question,” Carter said.
The analysts even added that Engelbert spoke on Clark’s subject when Malika Andrews asked, ‘Did you say?’ and then quoted Cathy, Cathy didn’t say, ‘No, I didn’t say that.’ The analysts claimed that Engelbert should be the first to respond if she is truthful.