WNBA star Napheesa Collier isn’t holding her tongue with regards to how she actually feels concerning the league’s present management. In a scathing public assertion made at a press convention on Tuesday, September 30, the Minnesota Lynx participant slammed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, calling her out for what she believes has been negligent management.
Collier mentioned the various points she has with the league’s management, even saying that the WNBA has the “worst leadership in the world.”
“The real threat to our league isn’t money,” she mentioned. “It isn’t ratings or even 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 the constant concerns about officiating, and it’s not reached the levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates. Whether the league cares about the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage,” she continued.
Collier additionally mentioned her perception that a few of the youthful star gamers, significantly the Fever’s Caitlin Clark, aren’t getting the compensation they deserve for the extreme curiosity they’ve dropped at the league.
“[Engelbert’s] response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,’” Collier mentioned.
The Lynx star went on to level out Engelbert’s unwillingness to handle the various issues which were made by WNBA gamers and their coaches concerning issues involving officiating.
“Only the losers complain about the refs,” Engelbert beforehand mentioned.
“We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us,” Collier emphasised. “The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.”