WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier Calls Out Commissioner Cathy Engelbert

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has a scathing message for the WNBA’s leadership.

Two days after being eliminated in the playoffs — and four days after tearing ligaments in her ankle on a non-call that rendered her unavailable for game 4 — Collier addressed the media in a four-minute-plus-long prepared statement in which she called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert by name, criticized the league’s inability to fix its ongoing officiating issues and said the WNBA has “the worst leadership in the world.”

“Let me be clear: This conversation is not about winning or losing,” Collier, 29, began, after congratulating the Phoenix Mercury for their series win over the Lynx. “It’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings, or even missed calls or physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”

The All-Star forward continued, “Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates. Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing. But to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage.”

Collier went on to share that she has had private conversations with Engelbert about the league’s officiating issues.

“Her response was, ‘Only the losers complain about the refs,’ ” Collier said.

The UConn standout continued that when players do speak out about officiating, “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,” she added.

The Lynx star, who finished second in MVP voting to A’ja Wilson, then shared that she advocated for Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, telling Engelbert that they “are making so little for their first four years.”

“Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,’ ” Collier recalled. “In that same conversation, she told me ‘Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.’ ”

Collier continued, “That’s the mentality driving our league from the top. We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us.” 

While she shared that she heard from others, including teammates and players, who reached out in the wake of her injury on Friday night, she didn’t hear from the commissioner.

“You know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy,” Collier said. “Not one call, not one text. Instead, the only outreach has come from her No. 2 telling my agent that she doesn’t believe physical play is contributing to injuries. That is infuriating and it’s the perfect example of a tone-deaf, dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take.”

Collier said she has previously tried to “have these conversations in private,” but on Tuesday, she said she had to speak out because the league had “no intention of accepting there’s a problem.”

Engelbert said in a statement Tuesday, shared with PEOPLE, that she was “disheartened” by Collier’s comments.

“I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA. Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league. My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game. I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.”

Collier ended her comments Tuesday with a direct call out to Engelbert and her staff.

“We have the best players in the world, We have the best fans in the world,” she said. “But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world.”