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Rebecca Lobo was watching the Indiana Fever’s shootaround Tuesday preparing to call the team’s WNBA semifinal game for ESPN later that night when Fever coach Stephanie White approached, asking whether she had seen the comments from fellow UConn great Napheesa Collier during the Minnesota Lynx’s exit interviews that morning.
Lobo, who was a star for the Huskies from 1991-95 and played seven seasons in the WNBA before beginning her broadcasting career, quickly went to watch the video and was surprised by what she heard.
Collier began her exit interview with a two-page prepared statement that ripped WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league’s front office for what she described as a “lack of accountability” amid a contentious ongoing collective bargaining negotiation.
The former UConn star spoke for more than four minutes, citing alleged conversations that she had privately with Engelbert which painted a problematic picture of the commissioner’s relationship to the league’s players and their interests. Collier also specifically called out the WNBA’s refusal to address concerns about inconsistent officiating that have become an annual source of frustration for players and coaches leaguewide.
“We have the best league in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said in her statement. “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. Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is a lack of accountability from our leaders.”
Collier’s scathing criticism came on the heels of Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve’s ejection from Game 3 of the team’s semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury. Reeve was thrown out of the game after Collier suffered an ankle injury during a collision with Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas late in the fourth quarter, and went on a tirade against the referees and the league postgame that resulted in a one-game suspension for Game 4 of the series.
“I was a little bit surprised, because we haven’t seen that kind of conversation before from a player in the WNBA in terms of the league leadership, but we have seen … players standing up and speaking out and having a lot of confidence in doing that, especially when they feel like they’re speaking on behalf of their teammates or the body of players as a whole,” Lobo said.
“One of the things that’s been interesting has been watching Napheesa kind of find her voice in the course of her career, especially now as she’s part of the union leadership during the CBA negotiations and really taking a leadership role in that.”
Lobo and ESPN partner Ryan Ruocco were on a Zoom call to talk about the WNBA Finals between Las Vegas and Phoenix that the pair will broadcast beginning on Friday night.
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Players around the league quickly took to social media to express support for Collier, including former UConn star Paige Bueckers, Chicago Sky phenom Angel Reese and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike. WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson also endorsed Collier’s comments after leading the Las Vegas Aces to victory in Game 5 of the semifinals, while Fever superstar Caitlin Clark weighed in during her team exit interview Thursday.
Officiating issues have plagued the 2025 WNBA season far beyond the Lynx-Mercury series. Ruocco recalled a conversation with Bueckers back in August where she told the duo that part of her transition to the professional game was learning how to “defend while fouling.”
“In college, she couldn’t get away with that, and here she realized that she can,” he said. “If I’m in a position of leadership and I hear a comment like that, rather than be defensive, I want to get curious. I want to say, ‘Wow, why is Paige Bueckers saying that? She’s fresh off of college, so how different is this?’
“I think there needs to be a level of openness and curiosity around what is now a common thread of concern.”
Lobo believes the league needs to address those concerns during the offseason, particularly because of how universal they have become. Collier’s comments were the most direct shot at the WNBA leadership yet, but Lobo said she’s heard common themes in her conversations with coaches about the way WNBA officiating impacts freedom of movement and the inconsistency in how fouls are called game-to-game.
“Everyone wants that to change,” Lobo said. “The players still do it because they are allowed to do it, and when their opponent does it and it gives them an advantage, they’re going to do the same thing … The coaches and the players need to have a voice in that with the league and with the officials. I do think it’s something that can be cleaned up, because everyone is unified in what they want in that regard.”
Originally Published: October 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM EDT
