Napheesa Collier Links CBA Fight to WNBA Leadership Change Suggestion
Perhaps the biggest rivalry in all of women's basketball right now is the one between Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
This stemmed from Collier's scathing comments about Engelbert during an interview last year, where she accused Engelbert is telling her several damning things (including that Caitlin Clark should be "grateful" about the WNBA providing her with a platform) and later adding, "Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders... 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."
Engelbert refuted these claims, saying, "Obviously, I did not make those comments," regarding what Collier claimed she had said about Clark. And this only seems to have driven a deeper wedge between the two sides.
Napheesa Collier points to Unrivaled as proof WNBA model can work
Of course, Collier isn't just a star in the WNBA. She's also a Vice President in the WNBA players' association (the WNPBA) and the co-founder of Unrivaled, which tipped off its second season on January 5.
Collier has to get surgery on her ankles and therefore can't compete in this Unrivaled season. But she was present at Monday's slate of games and got blunt about the ongoing CBA negotiations during a mid-game interview.
"Well, our [CBA] deadline is coming up right now, in a couple of days. And I think you've heard a lot of chatter about what we're asking for is not sustainable for the business. And being on this side, with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. So I think if they can’t find a model that makes that happen, they need to put people in place who can. Because we've proven that it is possible. There is a way. And we're thriving in that," Collier said, per an X post from @NoCapSpaceWBB.
"And so, I do think a deal is gonna get done. But we're standing firm in what we believe in, we're not gonna back down, and we can't take less. The sport has grown too much; it would be a disservice to the people who came before us, to the work that we've put in, to take less than what we're owed," she continued.
Napheesa Collier with another strong WNBA CBA statement on the Unrivaled broadcast
— No Cap Space WBB (@NoCapSpaceWBB) January 6, 2026
“Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. So I think if they can’t find a model that makes that happen they need to put people in place who can.” pic.twitter.com/gl0tFcGWQk
Collier did not pull any punches with that commentary. And she mad a lot of valid points.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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