WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert fired back at the criticism of her leadership by Napheesa Collier.
Minnesota Lynx star Collier launched a blistering attack on Engelbert on Tuesday when she blasted the league for having ‘the worst leadership in the world’ in her exit interview following her team’s playoff elimination.
Speaking ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday, Engelbert addressed the scathing accusations levied against her by Collier for the first time.
However, despite admitting that she was ‘disheartened’ by the player’s sentiments, Engelbert appeared to double down as she denied, in particular, claims she made belittling remarks about Caitlin Clark.
‘Obviously I did not make those comments,’ the 60-year-old insisted to reporters.
‘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.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert fired back at the blistering criticism of her leadership
All-Star forward Napheesa Collier thinks the WNBA has the ‘worst leadership in the world’
‘[I’m] proud of what she’s put on the court. Unfortunately, the injuries held her back from a full season this year.’
Collier had claimed that Engelbert had suggested that Clark should be ‘grateful’ for the platform provided to her by the league when she raised concerns over rookie contracts to the commissioner.
‘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 their first four years,’ Collier recalled.
‘Her response was, “Caitlin should be grateful she makes $60 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”‘
Collier, a five-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year who helped to launch the Unrivaled three-on-three league, also ripped into the WNBA’s ‘negligent’ leadership over CBA negotiations, media rights and officiating.
Collier added: ‘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”.’
Yet, Engelbert once again denied making those remarks as she pivoted to the devastation of her children over the WNBA civil war.
‘There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there on social media and all this reporting,’ Engelbert said.
Collier claims that Engelbert suggested that Caitlin Clark should be ‘grateful’ for her platform
‘[…] I’m just obviously disheartened. You know, I’m a human, too. I have a family. I have two kids who are devastated by these comments. All I’ll say is it’s obviously been a tough week, and I just think there’s a lot of inaccuracy out there.’
Following Collier’s fiery statement earlier this week, reports emerged claiming that there was mounting pressure for Engelbert to step down.
However, the commissioner brushed off that speculation on Friday, maintaining belief that she could repair her relationship with the league’s stars.
‘(I’ve) never been a quitter, never shied away … if there are things we need to fix, we’re gonna fix them,” Engelbert said. ‘There’s so many things that we can do together and I hope that the players see that.
‘I feel confident that we can repair any loss of trust.’
