NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has made several comments about the ongoing negotiations between the WNBA league office and its players. He has also addressed the growing rift between WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league’s players, which has been a huge story in the sports world ever since Napheesa Collier’s scathing comments about Engelbert last week.
“Cathy Engelbert has presided over historic growth in the league, but there’s no question that there’s issues we need to address with our players,” Silver said, per an October 6 article by USA Today. “They’re not just economic. There’s relationship issues, as well. I’m confident we can fix those over time, and this league can continue to be on the rocket trajectory that it’s on right now.”
He also added, “There’s no question that the WNBA is going through growing pains… We’ve got to sit down with the players and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.”
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Silver was also quoted in an October 7 article from Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic as saying, “Cathy Engelbert has presided over six years of some of the strongest growth we’ve not only seen in the WNBA but any sports league in history. But it’s become too personal and we’re going to have to work through those issues.”
Satou Sabally Gets Brutally Honest About Adam Silver’s “Personal” Sentiment
It seems that Silver’s comments have caught the attention of WNBA players. Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally was asked about Silver saying the players’ relationship with Engelbert was “personal”, and sent a clear response.
“It is very personal, because the WNBA wants to forbid us to make a lot more money than we’ve ever going to make here, what it seems like, in other leagues,” Sabally said of Silver’s comment, per an X post from @jeffmetcalfe.
“It’s very personal,” she added. “We have families. This is our job. We make more money in China, Russia, Turkey, than here. So it is very personal. And I don’t think why it should become personal.”
#Mercury Satou Sabally on NBA commissioner Adam Silver saying dialogue in #wnba contract negotiations is becoming “too personal” pic.twitter.com/s1ztAb1gBe
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) October 7, 2025
Sabally has always been one of the most outspoken players in the league, especially when it comes to her feelings regarding the league office and the ongoing CBA negotiations. But one would imagine she’s also speaking for her peers in confirming that these issues are personal — as if everything Collier said about Engelbert hadn’t made that clear enough.
This story is only going to get more interesting as the CBA negotiations continue.
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