NNEKA OGWUMIKE HEARD about Napheesa Collier\u2019s exit interview before she saw it. She was at home when her phone buzzed from a text message barrage, player after player asking if she had seen Collier\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
Ogwumike didn\u2019t know what everyone was talking about.<\/p>\n
A quick search on social media filled her in. Collier had spent four minutes criticizing WNBA leadership in general and commissioner Cathy Engelbert in particular. The Minnesota Lynx star described the WNBA\u2019s leadership as \u201cthe worst in the world\u201d and detailed Engelbert\u2019s lack of relationships with players.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy initial thoughts were, \u2018I agree,\u2019\u201d said Ogwumike, president of the WNBA players union. \u201cAnd that I was proud to be part of this union and with players like Phee who display their leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sent Collier a congratulatory text.<\/p>\n
The response from other WNBA players was swift and decisive. Post after post praised Collier.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhee speaks for me,\u201d Elizabeth Williams, a member of the union\u2019s executive committee, told ESPN.<\/p>\n
The support Collier has received from across the WNBA, including from her fellow members of the executive committee of the WNBPA, points to an erosion of the relationship between Engelbert and the players in the league she leads.<\/p>\n
Shortly after Engelbert was named the league\u2019s first commissioner on May 15, 2019, players celebrated the signing of a collective bargaining agreement. Both the commissioner and the players described it as \u201cgroundbreaking.\u201d Since then, Engelbert has presided over significant growth for the league, but there have been moments of turmoil as well.<\/p>\n
Some of those moments have been funny, like the comically small All-Star MVP trophy Engelbert presented to Kelsey Plum in 2022. Some have not been funny at all, like when she mispronounced Golden State Valkyries first-year head coach Natalie Nakase\u2019s name before presenting her with the 2025 Coach of the Year award. Some have undermined the players\u2019 sense of professional and personal value and left scars that haven\u2019t even begun to heal.<\/p>\n
With the WNBA Finals continuing in Phoenix and the CBA set to expire on Oct. 31 amid contentious negotiations, attention has been diverted to the players\u2019 skepticism of Engelbert\u2019s ability to lead.<\/p>\n
Their mistrust has been building for years.<\/p>\n
MEMBERS OF THE WNBPA executive committee sat in high chairs on a Bradenton, Florida, basketball court in front of the WNBA team logos. It was Aug. 27, 2020, and the sports world, like society at large, was grappling with the realities of COVID-19 and police brutality.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 23, Jacob Blake, a Black man, had been shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. On Aug. 26, teams in the WNBA, NBA, MLS and MLB chose to cancel their games.<\/p>\n
The WNBA extended its break for another night, and Ogwumike explained why in a live interview on ESPN.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we had such a heavy day last night, we also decided today to take games off,\u201d she said. \u201cThe players of the WNBA use today to reflect … we will continue demonstrating our solidarity by not playing today. It is important to note that this is not a strike. This is not a boycott. This is affirmatively a day of reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Games resumed on Aug. 28.<\/p>\n
The WNBA players were sequestered that season at IMG Academy playing in front of empty stands as a precaution against COVID.<\/p>\n
They put activism at the core of their 2020 bubble season. The players dedicated the season to the \u201cSay Her Name\u201d campaign, which highlighted women who had experienced police brutality. \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d decals were put on the court. Webinars led by the newly created social justice council featured speakers across the political and advocacy worlds.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne props that I do have to give Cathy is that she always allowed the players to speak up and be their true selves,\u201d said Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, who was a rookie during that 2020 campaign. \u201cI came into a league where the commissioner allowed us to speak up against police brutality, against injustices in this country and really be free-minded women.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier that summer, before the 2020 season began, U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, then co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, wrote a letter to Engelbert sharing her opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and asking the league to put an American flag on every jersey.<\/p>\n
In response, players organized a campaign to oust Loeffler from the Senate by wearing \u201cVote Warnock\u201d T-shirts to games to show support for her Democratic opponent, Raphael Warnock. Warnock defeated Loeffler in a runoff in January 2021 and won a full term in 2022. Loeffler sold the Dream in February 2021.<\/p>\n
When the players decided to postpone the games scheduled for Aug. 26, 2020, Engelbert publicly backed their decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe absolutely support them,\u201d Engelbert said at the time. \u201cWe are running a \u2018player-first\u2019 agenda, we\u2019ve said that from the beginning. That\u2019s why I was here, to listen, to talk with them, to impart some of my knowledge and experience and to think through strategically what this night meant to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Players recalled that the decision wasn\u2019t as collaborative as it appeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cConversations from Cathy and leadership were kind of a little bit more skewed towards playing, and business, and numbers,\u201d Ogwumike said Monday. \u201cAnd I just really did not feel like that was the time and place to be discussing those types of matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to push her on all the activism we did in the bubble,\u201d former executive committee member Layshia Clarendon said last week. \u201cThe sentiment from players was very much, \u2018No, we\u2019re doing this. I don\u2019t care if you like it or not.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Engelbert declined an interview request from ESPN.<\/p>\n
In 2024, when Caitlin Clark, who is white, and Angel Reese, who is Black, brought their stardom to the WNBA, commentary about their rivalry and the league as a whole took on a racialized dynamic, particularly as it pertained to the on-court treatment of Clark. Engelbert answered a question from CNBC anchor Tyler Mathisen about online toxicity among the WNBA fan base by arguing for the need for rivalries. \u201cBut the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry,\u201d Engelbert said. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don\u2019t want everybody being nice to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson released a statement condemning those remarks. \u201cThis is not about rivalries or iconic personalities fueling a business model,\u201d she said. \u201cThis kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Engelbert later acknowledged that her initial comments \u201cmissed the mark,\u201d but it was another blemish, this time publicly, on an issue deeply important to players.<\/p>\n
But even successes have seemingly created distance between Engelbert and players.<\/p>\n
ESCORTED BY FEVER security, Clark walked through baggage claim at a Dallas airport ahead of Indiana\u2019s May 2, 2024, preseason game against the Dallas Wings. Teammates Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull walked right behind her.<\/p>\n
A man kept pace alongside, holding his cellphone to capture Clark\u2019s arrival. A local news crew walked in front of them.<\/p>\n
Charter travel was banned by the CBA then, and despite multiple years of players complaining, nothing had changed.<\/p>\n
Players would post on social media when their commercial flights were delayed or during tough travel days. In 2018, the Las Vegas Aces forfeited a game against the Washington Mystics after travel delays impacted the team\u2019s readiness to play. New York Liberty owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai reportedly paid for multiple charter flights to away games in 2022 and also for an unsanctioned team trip to Napa, California. The league fined the Liberty $500,000 for violating league rules.<\/p>\n
That year, Engelbert said the league couldn\u2019t pay for charter flights for all teams without compromising league finances. \u201cIt would be more than $20 million a year to fund charter flights for an entire WNBA season,\u201d Engelbert said. \u201cSo this is something that we\u2019re not going to jeopardize the financial health of the league and be irresponsible about. If we can get it funded by sponsors and supporters, great, but that\u2019s not where we are. We do not have that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Liberty fine was frustrating to Sabally, who played for Dallas at the time. \u201cThat was just like \u2018Why would you do that?\u2019\u201d Sabally said. \u201cWhy would you hold back teams that want to give resources to their players and not encourage more on the lower end to step up? That\u2019s where my viewpoint changed a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaguewide charter travel was not implemented even after YouTuber Alex Stein pushed Mercury security in an attempt to reach Brittney Griner in June 2023. Griner was imprisoned in Russia for 10 months in 2022 and was released in a high-profile prisoner swap, which some protested. (A week after that incident, the league said Griner could fly charter for Phoenix\u2019s remaining road games that season.) But one week after Clark was greeted by cameras at that DFW airport baggage claim ahead of a preseason game against the Wings, Engelbert announced a charter flight program for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, making the Clark close encounter the final dicey entry in the WNBA\u2019s controversial commercial flight era.<\/p>\n
Said Williams: \u201c[Engelbert] took all of the credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond charter flights, Engelbert can point to many other success stories. Television ratings are up. Merch sales are up. The league has signed new media deals beginning in 2026 reportedly worth in excess of $200 million per year.<\/p>\n
Team owners are investing in facilities and player amenities. Mark Davis bought the Aces in January 2021, and design work on a practice facility for the team began in February. The facility opened in 2023, marking the first WNBA team-specific facility (multiple teams shared NBA facilities). The Seattle Storm opened a facility in April 2024. Phoenix followed in July. The Chicago Sky and Dallas are scheduled to open new facilities in 2026. New York, Indiana and the Los Angeles Sparks have announced plans to build.<\/p>\n
The league also has expanded and valuations have soared. When Engelbert took over, the WNBA consisted of 12 teams. Fifteen teams will tip off the 2026 season, and by 2030, the league will have 18 teams. The Dream reportedly paid a $10 million expansion fee in 2008, while the latest three expansion teams paid $250 million.<\/p>\n
Even that success has failed to unite the players behind Engelbert. Rather, it has sown distrust because of how that success is described. Players believe their contributions have been overlooked in favor of the commissioner touting her own success.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayers felt like she talked like we should constantly be in a position of gratitude versus a partnership,\u201d Williams said. \u201cHer language and intent may have said \u2018partnership,\u2019 but unfortunately it didn\u2019t necessarily come off that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said Plum, another member of the union\u2019s executive committee: \u201cIt\u2019s not just what she says but how she says it.\u201d<\/p>\n
McNutt: Collier’s criticism isn’t about the now, it’s about the future of WNBA ESPN’s Monica McNutt shares her reaction to Napheesa Collier’s criticism of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and why the direct callout can be good for the league in the long run. <\/p>\n
THE EROSION OF the players\u2019 relationship with Engelbert spilled into public view at a moment when CBA negotiations are kicking into high gear. The Oct. 31 deadline is 22 days away, and players have repeatedly indicated that a deal is not close.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a copy-and-paste job,\u201d one source said. \u201cWe\u2019re not gonna just fix a few provisions. This needs to have an overhaul, because that\u2019s what the moment demands.\u201d<\/p>\n
The primary sticking point is salary structure. In the 2020 CBA, the salary cap was predetermined for each year over the life of the agreement. For example, if players had not chosen to opt out of the CBA, the salary cap for 2026 and 2027 would be $1,552,300 and $1,598,800, respectively. The players want a salary cap that is tied to league revenue alongside higher salaries. The 2025 rookie scale started at $66,079, the veteran minimum was $78,831 and the maximum salary was $249,244.<\/p>\n
Players believe they have earned a raise. A significant raise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can all win this, and that frustration has been boiling,\u201d Plum said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t [Cathy] or [the PA], it\u2019s both of us winning and upping our levels. The conversation has been combative and that\u2019s upping the frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Engelbert attempted to address that frustration last week in Las Vegas ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and me personally do not care about them or listen to them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd if the players in the W don\u2019t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better and I have to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
That statement did not appease all the players.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, no comment,\u201d Sabally said. \u201cBecause that\u2019s really what she gave.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NNEKA OGWUMIKE HEARD about Napheesa Collier\u2019s exit interview before she saw it. She was at home when her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":{"0":"post-200356","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}