Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier made the unusual choice of reading a prepared statement to the press after Sunday’s game, ripping the league for its treatment of Caitlin Clark, the ongoing dispute over player pay, and the constant problem of failed officiating.
The Lynx was eliminated from the WNBA playoffs on Sunday, losing to the Phoenix Mercury 86-81, with Collier sitting on the bench due to an ankle injury. But she certainly didn’t intend to sit out her chance to vent her grievances against the league. As she read off her written statement, Collier slammed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for her offhanded comments about stars including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers.
Collier said she asked Cathy Engelbert “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 their first four years. Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because, without the platform that the WBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’ And 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.'”
“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. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them,” Collier added.
Collier was also fed up with the consistently bad calls from failed refs that the league has unleashed on the players.
“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,” she said. “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. Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”
“The league has a buzzword that they’ve rolled out as talking points for the CBA as to why they can’t pay the players what we’re worth. That word is ‘sustainability,'” she continued. “But what’s truly unsustainable is keeping a good product on the floor while allowing officials to lose control of games. Fans see it every night. Coaches — both winning and losing — point it out every night in pre-game and post-game 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.”
Later, she added, “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.'”
Collier explained that she has tried to have these conversations in private with league officials, but no one has been interested in hearing them. So, that is why she decided to read her statement to the press.
“The league has made it clear it isn’t about innovation,” Collier insisted. “It isn’t about collaboration. It’s about control and power. I’ve earned this platform and I’ve paid the price to get here, and now I have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the fans and everyone in this league that deserves better. 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. At some point, everyone deserves to hear the truth from someone who I hope has earned the benefit of the doubt to fight for what is right and fair for our athletes and our fans.”
She concluded, saying, “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.”
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