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The widening schism between WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) has become a prominent issue as both sides attempt to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). So much so that even NBA commissioner Adam Silver has chimed in with his two cents.
“It’s become too personal and we’re gonna have to work through those issues,” Silver told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic in an Oct. 7 article.
The controversy has seemingly reached a tipping point over the past two weeks, with WNBPA Vice President Napheesa Collier taking to Minnesota Lynx exit interviews on Sept. 30 to air her grievances with Engelbert and the league office. Engelbert denied several of Collier’s claims — including an allegation that the WNBA commissioner made disparaging remarks about Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark — prompting Collier to cancel a follow-up meeting.
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike issued a response to Silver on the latest episode of Bird’s Eye View, a podcast hosted by Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird.
“I disagree that it’s personal. We’ve been saying this since the beginning — it’s business,” the 14-year WNBA veteran and Seattle Storm forward asserted. “That’s certainly the mantra that’s been imparted upon us from the league. This is business. I think you can take it personally if you don’t like what’s being said.”
The current CBA expires on Oct. 31, leaving the league and players roughly three weeks to strike a new deal. Yet with tensions at an all-time high and frustration mounting over officiating and player salaries, the threat of a lockout looms large.
“I understand that relationships have to be mended,” Ogwumike relayed. “Mend it in negotiations. I think it’s quite simple, really.”
It’s a message that’s being pushed across the WNBPA Executive Committee, with Vice President Breanna Stewart delivering a similar statement at a TechFutures panel.
Nneka Ogwumike Backs Napheesa Collier’s Leadership
During her conversation with Bird, Ogwumike also took the opportunity to support Collier’s decision to go public with her message.
“I think what Napheesa did was an exceptional display of that leadership, of speaking truth to power in a way that she can be heard,” Ogwumike praised. “Today, this is where we’re at, and this is not where we want to stay, and I think that’s exactly why she’s a member of our executive committee.”
Collier delivered her message in the form of a prepared statement, critiquing how league leadership has fallen short in the eyes of players.
“I agreed with what Napheesa said, and I think she really spoke a lot of the sentiments that the players have been expressing,” continued Ogwumike. “She took it upon herself to use her platform in a way that was monumental and is going to contribute to the transformational change that we’re gonna see.”
Collier and Stewart have a unique vantage point as founders of Unrivaled, a three-on-three women’s basketball league that takes place during the WNBA offseason and features a prominent contingent of the league’s stars.
“It’s amazing as well for someone like [Collier] and for someone like ‘Stewie’ to be in a position to kind of peek into what it’s like to run a league. I think that that’s the advantage that we have,” Ogwumike explained. “Having players like that who are creating more opportunities and creating the growth that we want to see — [the goal is] for us to be able to do the same thing for the league that we all love and the league that we all play in.”
