PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 20: WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media before the 2024 WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center on July 20, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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Napheesa Collier unleashed a blistering public critique of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, accusing her of negligence, dismissiveness and a lack of accountability that the player said threatens the future of women’s basketball.
“I want to be clear, this is not about when you’re losing. It’s about something much bigger,” Collier said during the Minnesota Lynx exit interviews. “The real threat to our league isn’t money. It isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”
According to Collier, Engelbert has routinely ignored concerns about officiating, player health and fair compensation. She said the league’s inconsistency and unwillingness to act “plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates.”
“Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is a lack of accountability from our leaders,” the player said in a statement of her own.
WNBA Unable To Address Officiating Issues
The most pointed criticism targeted Engelbert’s handling of officiating complaints. “Fans see it every night. Coaches, both winning and losing, point it out every night in preview and postgame media, yet leadership just issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence.”
According to the player, Engelbert dismissed complaints directly when approached about officiating. “At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league. Her response was, ‘Well, only the losers complain about the refs.’”
WNBA Commissioner Says Caitlin Clark Should Be Grateful
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JULY 18: (L-R) Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky defends against Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star practice sessions at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 18, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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Collier also accused Engelbert of belittling rookie contract concerns. For example, Clark makes roughly $84,000 a year.
“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin [Clark], Angel [Reese] and Paige [Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for the first four years. Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful. She made $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’”
In the same conversation Collier says, Engelbert told players “they should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.”
She added that Engelbert has failed to reach out during her own injury. “This year long, I’ve gotten calls, texts and well wishes from so many players across the league … Who do you know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy. Not one call, not one text.”
Collier’s statement essentially accused Engelbert of silencing criticism instead of addressing it.
“Our leadership’s answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone’s voices by handing out fines. I’m not concerned about a fine. I’m concerned about the future of our sport.”
The five-time WNBA All-Star concluded by calling Engelbert’s leadership “the worst in the world.”
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now, we have the worst leadership in the world,” she said.
The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.