The relationship between WNBA star forward Napheesa Collier and league commissioner Cathy Engelbert apparently hit another setback, with the player canceling a meeting scheduled for next week, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Collier criticized Engelbert and the league in a news conference on Tuesday, saying they have “the worst leadership in the world” and accusing her of making disparaging comments about star players and not taking officiating seriously.
Still, Collier later texted Engelbert that she was open to more discussion.
Engelbert made an initial statement later Tuesday, then spoke at length at a Friday news conference about Collier’s comments and accepted some responsibility for players’ disapproval of her performance. However, labeling Collier’s version of a private conversation they had in February as full of inaccuracies has “pretty much pushed the relationship beyond repair,” one source told ESPN.
Engelbert had not been notified that the meeting was canceled as of early Saturday evening, a league spokesperson told ESPN.
Collier is a Women’s National Basketball Players Association vice president, along with a star on the Minnesota Lynx, and her voice carried extra heft amid the backdrop of a collective bargaining agreement that’s set to expire Oct. 31.
Engelbert stated on Tuesday that she was “disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership.” However, on Friday, during her annual news conference before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, she made an effort to speak highly of the players and sought to make amends.
Collier said she asked Engelbert how she would address the issue of young superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers earning very little on their rookie contracts while generating huge revenue for the league.
“Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,'” Collier said.
“And in that same conversation,” she continued, Engelbert “told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that (she) got them.”
Asked on Friday if she actually mentioned the media rights part of that statement, Engelbert avoided directly addressing it.
“There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all this reporting,” Engelbert said. “And so I think what’s most helpful is to focus on, I have been in touch with Napheesa, we’ve exchanged texts, we’re talking next week. So, I think, obviously, a lot of reporting, a lot of inaccuracy about what I said or what I didn’t say. And I will tell you, I highly respect the players.”
Given a second chance to address the faux pas, specifically regarding Clark’s endorsement earnings, Engelbert was more direct.
“Obviously, I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said. “Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought in tens of millions of new fans to the game.
“… But again, I’m not going to get into every point-counterpoint. It’s not productive here. We’re here to celebrate the WNBA Finals.”
Engelbert said she was confident “that we can repair any loss of trust” amid the ongoing CBA negotiations. She claimed the league office wants “a transformative deal” with “significant, significant” pay increases for the players and some proposals have included revenue-share components.
“I think it’s all about balancing the significant increase in salaries and benefits with the long-term viability of the league,” Engelbert said. “You know, they’re obviously bargaining for more and so we’re just trying to obviously balance looking out many years.”
The CBA expires at the end of the month, and Engelbert said she was confident in the sides’ ability to meet that deadline, but felt it could be extended, if necessary, as they did by a few months before their most recent agreement in January 2020.
–Field Level Media
