The CBA negotiations are entering their final week, with the deadline day closing soon. It took a bit of an ugly turn following Napheesa Collier’s public criticism of the WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. Many said the relations between players and the Commissioner are reaching their breaking point, predicting a lockout with CBA negotiations hanging in the balance.
However, there was little movement since then. The WNBA hit back at the players’ association for making an “incorrect” claim amid CBA negotiations. The report from Athletic suggests that there was a meeting between players and WNBA Commissioner recently.
Napheesa Collier Reportedly Met Cathy Engelbert
The 28-year-old forward denied meeting the league’s top authority after Engelbert called her claims’ false’. This put a question mark over the CBA discussions, if any discussions are on hold. But a source close to CBA dealings informed the media about a meeting just after Collier’s criticism.
The Athletics’ Ben Pickman provided an update on those negotiations on Wednesday. Ben Pickman provided the news and wrote, “Despite the apparent tensions on the key issue, the two sides continue to meet, with players attending some of the sessions. During the 2025 WNBA Finals, WNBPA executive committee members Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert attended an in-person meeting, sources with knowledge of the meeting told The Athletic.”
More CBA news/updates @TheAthletic…
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) October 22, 2025
During the WNBA Finals, a number of WNBPA executive committee members, including Napheesa Collier, met in-person with Cathy Engelbert.
More on that meeting, and subsequent meetings in our story: https://t.co/7kiE46KXAe https://t.co/J3Q1sUKljY pic.twitter.com/nhFTHtn4xZ
The tensions between WNBPA and Cathy Engelbert were rising after the former UConn star opened up on the Commissioner’s comments from a private meeting. But with the meeting in place, there are chances that both parties are looking to get to the end of the 2025 CBA discussions.
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Even if they don’t reach the conclusion on or before October 31, they can extend the date, but the intent to find a solution is there, as per the recent updates.
Napheesa Collier Joked About Fines For Her Comments On Cathy Engelbert
While many coaches and players received fines for their criticism of WNBA officiating, the Lynx star also joked about attracting fines for her comments on Cathy Engelbert. For her comments, many WNBA top authorities fired back at the star. WNBA Owner criticized Napheesa Collier’s public rant targeting Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
In the press conference only, the star player said, “I’m sure that they will fine me. It seems like anything with free speech is fined now.”
After coming out and targeting her comments towards Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA, I asked Napheesa Collier if she should be expecting a fine. @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/nLbOoGUfsK
— Ahmad Hicks (@AhmadHicksTV) September 30, 2025
While the WNBPA vice president is yet to receive any fine, the star is active and aggressive in her stance for the WNBPA demands. She is attending the meetings with WNBPA members, which highlights her commitment to reaching a conclusion of the CBA discussions.