Napheesa Collier Reflects On Criticizing WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert

Fans are now getting ready for the 2026 WNBA Season following the CBA deal confirmation. During that period, many players criticized the league and its leadership for the delay and approach towards the CBA deal. Now that the confirmation is in, players like Satou Sabally have credited the WNBA commissioner for the CBA deal. But what about the first player, Napheesa Collier, who had fierce words for the commissioner.

During her exit interview, her ‘infamous’ speech ignited the fire, and many other players joined her, thrashing the league for its process and progress. In the recent interview, the Lynx forward came out clean on the criticism and the constant firing she had aimed at the Commissioner.

Napheesa Collier Speaks About Harsh Words For Cathy Engelbert

Many players and fans celebrated the CBA deal like it was a Christmas gift from Santa Claus, but those who fight behind the scenes and face criticism from fans and even league authorities knew how hard it was to get the league on terms with the WNBPA’s demands.

One of those ‘warriors’ was the former UConn star who was most aggressive against the league and league authorities.

Now, after CBA confirmation, the 29-year-old said, “I think I just got to the point where I was fed up. Whether I was going to get annihilated for this or people were gonna support me, I felt like what I was doing was right. I felt like it needed to be said, so no matter the consequences, I felt like it was something that needed to be done.”

Phee on her “worst leadership in the world” criticism of Cathy:

“Thinking about the state of the world right now… that was a little dramatic… I’m still happy that I did it, and I think it had the intended effect of moving our negotiations along. I think an unintended… pic.twitter.com/G8m1Bc1Ofp

— Vanshay 🎥 NEW ACCOUNT (@mvanshay) May 6, 2026

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“Thinking about the state of the world right now, I think that was a little dramatic/. I think it was something that needed to happen, and it was something that furthered our CBA negotiations,” Collier said.

She added that she is happy that she took that step, which impacted the decisions. Fans even criticized the player, questioning her intentions behind the harsh language and the negative image it portrayed of Cathy Engelbert.

While the star played a key role in the CBA confirmation, she nearly started targeting another critical aspect in the league, physicality, with her recent criticism.

Napheesa Collier To Impact Another Aspect in the League?

The Minnesota Lynx star suffered a serious injury in the postseason game against the Mercury team, and Collier’s recent injury update is not very encouraging for the side either. Amid this, the player spoke harshly about the league’s physicality and the rules that need attention.

“I do feel like the game is too physical right now. I think that’s been a complaint of players and coaches alike for the past several years. And I do think that hinders the players, obviously. Like, you come to watch players play offense and to score. And so, it’s so physical, the game is not fun to watch and it’s not fun to play,” Collier said.

While the interviewer asked her what change she would prefer, the star opted for both changes. She pointed out that consistency in refereeing is the number one thing [WNBA players] ask for every year, but there must also be fair rules.