At the moment, a dark shadow seems to hang over the WNBA. And the worst part? There is no certainty as to when the light will be visible at the end of the tunnel. It has been a long time since the players have been asking for equal and fair play.
Unfortunately, things are not at all looking rosy for the athletes. Despite the NBA giving its players a 49% share of the revenue, the WNBA players only make a meagre 7%. And now, with the likes of the Unrivaled and Project B gaining traction, the WNBA’s future is looking hazy.
Meanwhile, emerging as one of the frontline protestors, the Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has been actively campaigning. And now, with her recent fury unleashed, the league might be bracing up for a total shutdown.
Will Napheesa Collier’s Words Lead To A Work Stoppage From The Players?
The Lynx star has never shied away from voicing her concerns. During her exit interview, Collier lashed out at Cathy Engelbert for her lack of accountability. And now, once again, the Lynx star has spoken against the sorry state of affairs in the WNBA.
In a recent statement, Collier pointed out that she does not mind the fact that the New York Liberty players can afford private flights. Rather, what she wants is an equilibrium where everybody has access to basic rights and amenities, which is, unfortunately, missing at the moment.
According to Collier, she will not back down from the same stance until the WNBA front office accepts the players’ demands.
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“If we give in, we’re not only doing a disservice to us. We’re doing a disservice to where we have gotten in women’s sports,” Collier said. “We really have no choice but to stand strong again. Not just for the present, but for the future of our league too,” she further added.
Napheesa Collier on Glamour Magazine representing the WNBA players
— Athlete Vanity (@AthleteVanity) October 27, 2025
🗣️: “The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she’s getting 0% of it because we have no revenue share. She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she’s bringing in, like, hundreds of… pic.twitter.com/Fawx2f3bXr
Surely, such an outburst from Collier has led to speculations about whether the work stoppage is becoming inevitable at this point. Meanwhile, with Collier leading the charge, she has recently faced the wrath of WNBA owners.
WNBA Owners Unhappy With Napheesa Collier’s Recent Rift With Cathy Engelbert
Collier’s exit interview spread like wildfire. As she publicly criticized the WNBA commissioner, her comments seemingly upset several owners. As per a recent report on ESPN, one of the owners stated that they ‘can’t stand’ what Collier said and also wanted to fire her. However, another owner claimed that people might have misinterpreted the league commissioner’s messages.
“I believe Napheesa’s comments… I think sometimes the approach of [Engelbert’s] message hasn’t always been delivered well… CBA negotiations and other negotiations are always hard, but it might not have been as confrontational, I think, if there was a little bit better dialogue and relationship-building there. And I don’t know at this stage if that’s repairable or not,” said the owner.
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. We have the worst leadership in the world.” – 5x All Star Napheesa Collier on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Collier also recounted Engelbert telling her that Caitlin Clark should be grateful to the… pic.twitter.com/H0jsR61Wl1
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 30, 2025
Surely, as the plot thickens, everyone waits to see what happens next.