Collier: WNBA has 'worst leadership in the world'

• ‍Alanna Smith’s defense drives Lynx, earns league’s top honour‍
• Aussies in the WNBA 2025 Playoffs Tracker‍
• Cheryl Reeve suspended for Game 4 of WNBA semi-final

WNBA superstar Napheesa Collier has detonated on the league and its bosses in an extraordinary exit interview in which she said commissioner Cathy Engelbert told her "only losers complain about refs" and players such as Caitlin Clark should be grateful for endorsement because without the WNBA "she wouldn't make anything."

"In that same conversation, she (Engelbert) told me 'players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media-rights deal she got them'," Collier revealed.

The WNBA secured a new 11-year media rights deal, worth an average of USD $200 million a year, with Disney, NBC and Amazon, in July 2024.

Collier, 29, is the vice president on the WNBA's Players Association executive committee and star of the Minnesota Lynx. She is the teammate of Australian Opals and co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith. There are eight Australians playing in the WNBA.

"The real threat to our league isn’t money, ratings, missed calls, or even physical play," Collier declared.

"It’s the lack of accountability from the league office. Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine its integrity."

What Collier said in her statement

• Officiating Crisis: Inconsistency and lack of accountability from refs undermine the league’s integrity and player safety.
• Leadership Criticism: Accused WNBA leadership of being tone-deaf and dismissive, more focused on control than collaboration.
• Player Welfare Ignored: Claimed Engelbert brushed off officiating concerns, saying “only losers complain about refs,” and minimised injury risks.
• Pay & Sustainability: Challenged the league’s “sustainability” excuse for low pay while valuations and rights deals surge.
• Call for Change: WNBA has the best players and fans but “the worst leadership in the world,” and vows not to stay silent about different standards.

The WNBAPA backed Collier in a statement today: “Napheesa Collier is an outstanding leader and Officer of this Union. When Phee speaks, people listen. We are confident that her words today speak to the feelings and experiences of many, if not most or all of our members. The leaders of the league and its teams would benefit from listening to her powerful statement. The players know their value even if the league does not. They are fighting for their legacy and the future of basketball."

"I’m not concerned about a fine. I’m concerned about the future of our sport," Collier said.

"Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is a lack of accountability from our leaders."

Engelbert issued a statement shortly after: "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 characterised our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver."

The Lynx were eliminated in four games by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 Semi-Finals. Collier missed Game 4 after being injured on the last play of Game 3 that led to head coach Cheryl Reeve's ejection and then suspension for blasting the league and its referees in an expletive-filled post game interview.

"It’s bad for the game. For the leadership to deem that officiating crew playoff-worthy —semi-finals-worthy — is [expletive] malpractice," Reeve said.

"I can take an L with the best of them. I don’t think we should have to play through more than what they did.

"We’ve got players getting [expletive] cracked, and there’s no call. And all of a sudden, “It wasn’t my call. I didn’t see it that way.”

"They’re [expletive] awful."

Reeve was fined USD $16,000 and suspended.

Collier said she had decided to reveal conversations she has had with Engelbert because "this conversation isn’t about winning or losing — it’s about something much bigger."

"At All-Star this past February, I sat across from Kathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league," Collier revealed.

"Her response was, 'Only the losers complain about the refs'. 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 in their first four years. Her response was that Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.

"That is the mentality driving our league from the top."

Napheesa Collier's full statement

I have prepared a statement that I’d like to make before taking any questions.

First, I want to congratulate the Mercury for advancing to the Finals. I want to be clear: this conversation isn’t about winning or losing — it’s about something much bigger.

The real threat to our league isn’t money, ratings, missed calls, or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office. Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine its integrity.

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 a lack of accountability from our leaders.

The league has a buzzword they use as a talking point for the CBA to explain why they can’t pay players what we’re worth: “sustainability.” But what’s truly unsustainable is trying to keep 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 in their media sessions. Yet leadership issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence.

At All-Star this past February, I sat across from Kathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league. Her response was, 'Only the losers complain about the refs'. I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel, and Paige — who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league— are making so little in their first four years. Her response was that Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything. In that same conversation, she told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media-rights deal she got them.

That is the mentality driving our league from the top.

I have the privilege of watching my husband run a league where he has to balance a hundred different things at once. I won’t pretend the job is easy. But even with all that on his plate, he always takes the time to reach out to players when he sees an injury — announced or not, even during the WNBA season. That is what leadership looks like: the human element, basic integrity — the bare minimum any leader should embody.

This year alone, I’ve gotten calls, texts, and well-wishes from so many players across the league. Those moments remind me there are things bigger than the results of this game we play. But do you know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy. Not one call. Not one text. Instead, the only outreach came from her No. 2 telling my agent she doesn’t believe physical play is contributing to injuries. That is infuriating, and it perfectly exemplifies the tone-deaf, dismissive approach our leaders always seem to take.

I’ve finally grown tired. For too long, I’ve tried to have these conversations in private, but it’s clear there’s no intention of accepting there’s a problem. The league has made it clear it isn’t about innovation or collaboration — it’s about control and power.

I’ve earned this platform, and I’ve paid the price to get here. Now I have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the fans and everyone in this league who 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. 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.

If I didn’t know exactly what the job entailed, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way. Unfortunately for them, I do. We serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable — and that’s fine; it’s professional sports. But I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level.

Thank you.

Why Napheesa Collier's Opinion Matters

Collier is more than a respected voice in women's basketball. She is a superstar and her voice matters.

• Two-time Olympic Games Gold Medallist
• 5× WNBA All-Star (2019, 2021, 2023–2025)
• WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2025)
• 2× All-WNBA First Team (2023, 2024)
• All-WNBA Second Team (2020)
• WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
• WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2024)
• 2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2020, 2023)
• WNBA Rookie of the Year (2019)
• WNBA All-Rookie Team (2019)
• WNBA Commissioner's Cup champion (2024)
• WNBA Commissioner's Cup MVP (2024)
• 50–40–90 club (2025)
• NCAA champion (2016)
• Unrivaled MVP (2025)
• Unrivaled First-team all-Unrivaled (2025)
• EuroLeague champion (2024)
• FIBA Europe SuperCup Women champion (2023)
• FIBA Europe SuperCup Women MVP (2023)
• Turkish Super League champion (2024)
• Triple Crown (2024)
• Katrina McClain Award (2019)
• 2× First-team All-American – AP (2017, 2019)
• First-team All-American – USBWA (2019)
• Third-team All-American – AP (2018)
• 2× WBCA Coaches' All-American (2017, 2019)
• All-American – USBWA (2017)
• 2× AAC Player of the Year (2017, 2019)
• AAC Defensive Player of the Year (2019)
• AAC Tournament MVP (2019)
• 3× First-team All-AAC (2017–2019)
• AAC All-Freshman Team (2016)
• Miss Show-Me Basketball (2015)
• McDonald's All-American (2015)

WNBA Base Salaries ($USD)

• Veteran Supermax Salary (Top Tier):
  • ~$228,094 in 2025 (increases annually with escalators).
  • This is the max a player can earn as a base salary.
• Veteran Max Salary:
  • ~$196,267 in 2025.
• Rookie Scale:
  • Based on draft position and years of service.
  • 2025 numbers approximate:
    • 1st overall pick (Year 1): ~$76,000.
    • End of 1st round: ~$67,000.
    • Second round & undrafted contracts: ~$65,000–70,000.
• League Minimums:
  • Increase with years of service.
  • For a 0–2 year player: ~$65–70K.
  • For 3+ year vets: ~$75–90K.