Napheesa Collier’s fiery speech criticizing the WNBA commissioner started a wild fire that is nearly costing Cathy Engelbert her job. Many believe that with the relationships between the players and the commissioner are beyond repair which is not a good sign for the ongoing CBA negotiations.
While Collier denied strategic motive behind Cathy Engelbert criticism and explained frustration with the WNBA leadership, one league owner is not happy with the criticism and slammed the star player for her public rant.
WNBA Owner Censure Napheesa Collier’s Public Rant
Fans and players united against the WNBA leadership as the former defensive player of the year winner spoke openly about the lack of accountability from Cathy Engelbert. She opened up on the private discussions where the WNBA Commissioner spoke bluntly on Caitlin Clark’s earnings.
Even though Engelbert denied any such discussion and words on Clark’s earnings, a WNBA owner was not happy with the fact the Phee spoke their private discussion on public forum. In a recent ESPN report, an anonymous WNBA owner admitted they “can’t stand” the way Collier publicly blasted Engelbert. He mentioned, “I can’t stand what [Collier] did. That was a private conversation. It makes me not want to fire her, even though I think she should be fired,”
“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
The player’s step to disclose her private conversation was bold decision and even breaks the trust. Another owner believed that the words from Cathy Engelbert might have misinterpreted, as he said, “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.”
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Whatever be the reason, the league now has a massive ‘make over task’ at had in midst of the CBA negotiations and expansion.
Napheesa Collier Gets WNBA Players’ Support
Even though the WNBA Ownership is not happy with the Lynx forward’s stance, Collier has backing from the WNBA players. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike lauded her leadership quality for taking the first step on the topic, while vice president Breanna Stewart highlighted that ‘she is 100% with Phee’.
While WNBPA authorities showed unison, the players from the league also poured in support for the former UConn player. Rookies like Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese showed their support and also ‘respect’ for the vet, while A’ja Wilson also chipped in with some advice for Cathy Englebert.
The league must act quickly to resolve the ‘relationship issue’ as the deadline day for the CBA deal is approaching with plenty of work still on the plate.