Napheesa Collier’s Unprecedented Press Conference May Change WNBA Forever

Star Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier used her platform at the Lynx’s exit interviews on Tuesday to lay waste to the WNBA’s existing power structure.

While exit interviews are typically places for players to speak on the season that had just passed them and discuss any future plans, Collier took a different approach. In a prepared statement to open her press conference, Collier laid out a number of problems she had with the league’s leadership at the executive level, and specifically took aim at WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Among Collier’s grievances have been the league’s dismissal of officiating concerns, inadequate and callous communication between league executives and players, and the WNBA’s payment structure, a heavily scrutinized topic with the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement at the end of October.

“The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings or missed calls or even physical play. It’s a lack of accountability from the league office,” Collier said. “Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates.”

Criticisms of league officiating have become commonplace in the WNBA.

The most notable example of a spat between teams and referees has to be Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve’s near-brawl with officials after Collier’s injury in Game 3 of the semifinals between the Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury, which followed with Reeve calling the referees’ conduct “malpractice” in her postgame presser that led to fines and suspension for the Minnesota skipper.

Collier’s concern in her statement extended to the number of injuries that have come about due to unregulated physical play this season and how it has affected the on-court product.

“Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage,” Collier said. “Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”

Collier said she had an opportunity to speak with Engelbert at an Unrivaled basketball game and pressed her on how the commissioner would address issues with officiating in the league. Engelbert’s response?

“Well, only the losers complain about the refs,” Engelbert said according to Collier.

The core issue of CBA negotiations has been player pay. The WNBA was projected to earn $1 billion ahead of the 2025 season, and the league netted an 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal that began in the 2025 season. Despite this, the average WNBA salary is $102,249, per Sports Illustrated’s analysis of Spotrac data.

The WNBA Players Association will be fighting to change this number and increase WNBA salaries to reflect the monetary growth of the league as a whole. Collier tied this issue into her comments on league officiating and accountability, and asserted that the league’s lack of action renders their arguments against increased player pay hollow.

“The league has a buzzword that they’ve rolled out as talking points for the CBA as to why they can’t pay the players what we’re worth, and that word is sustainability,” Collier said. “But what’s truly unsustainable is keeping a good product on the floor while allowing officials to lose control of games.”

Collier contrasted Engelbert’s handling of league matters and communication with the way her husband, Alex Bazzell, president of the Unrivaled Basketball League, handles the players in his league.

“I won’t pretend the job is easy, but even with all of that on his plate, he always takes the time to reach out to players when he sees an injury, whether it’s unrivaled or even during the WNBA season. That is what leadership looks like. It’s the human element, it’s basic integrity, and it’s the bare minimum any leader should embody. “

Comparing this to Engelbert, Collier said, “But do you know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy. Not one call, not one text. The only outreach has come from her number two, telling my agent that she doesn’t believe physical play is contributing to injuries. That is infuriating, and it’s the perfect example of the tone deaf, dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take.”

The lack of communication that Collier addressed has hit home with many players, it seems. After Collier’s comments became public, WNBA champion and two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne, who retired after the 2023 season, posted an Instagram story in support of Collier and shared her own experience with the lack of communication from Engelbert.

“I’m still not sure if Cathy [Engelbert] knows I retired,” she said in her story. “Heard from everyone but her.”

Waves of support for Collier from past and present WNBA players have come in the hours since her statement. Such a direct attack on WNBA executive leadership is representative of the breakdown in the relationship between the WNBA and the players that sustain it and sets the tone for both impending CBA negotiations and the dialogue between players and executives going forward.