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Is There a Conflict of Interest as Napheesa Collier Battles WNBA Commissioner?

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier is fighting the WNBA's leadership amid CBA negotiations.

Logan Struck

Sep 6, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) waits for action to start before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Sep 6, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) waits for action to start before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Minnesota Lynx superstar forward Napheesa Collier has been dominating WNBA headlines recently, as her recent feud with commissioner Cathy Engelbert has sparked plenty of conversations around the league.

This exchange started during Collier's exit interview after the Lynx suffered a season-ending loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals, in which the WNBA MVP runner-up called out Engelbert and the league's leadership.

"The real threat to our league isn't money. It isn't ratings or missed calls or even physical play. It's a lack of accountability from the league office," Collier said. "...At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy (Engelbert) 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 also called out Engelbert for her comments about Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, saying, "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. Her response was that ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes 16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything.'"

Of course, Engelbert denied Collier's claims about what was said in their meeting in February, and even requested to have another meeting with the Lynx star. However, Collier reportedly cancelled their upcoming meeting, as their relationship seems unsalvageable.

Is there a concerning conflict of interest?

Of course, Collier is sticking up for her peers, and many players have jumped to back her up as she speaks on the league's poor leadership. However, some fans are concerned about a potential conflict of interest.

Collier is a Vice President for the WNBA Players Association, alongside New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. Of course, they rightfully hold places in the WNBPA as incredible leaders, but there is growing concern about their positions. Collier and Stewart founded the Unrivaled league, which gives WNBA players a chance to get paid for basketball during the offseason, rather than choosing to play overseas, which many players have to do to make a living due to the WNBA's low salaries.

Of course, as the WNBA and WNBPA negotiate a new CBA, the players are asking for more money, but the trade-off for an increase in salary could be a clause that prohibits players from playing in other leagues during the offseason, such as Unrivaled.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier
Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks on against the Golden State Valkyries in the second half during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

If Collier and Stewart are helping negotiate the new CBA, and the league offers players an increased salary but says that they cannot play in other leagues, those two stars and Unrivaled founders will likely vote against that. As this feud between Collier and Engelbert heats up, the WNBA is in as bad a spot as ever, and a lockout is becoming more and more likely. However, would a lockout be good for Unrivaled?

While Unrivaled was not created to be a competitor for the WNBA, as they simply offer players a chance to play during the offseason and get paid, the new league benefits from a WNBA collapse, which puts Collier and Stewart in a concerning position as vice presidents of the Players Association.

Back in July, Collier's husband and Unrivaled co-founder Alex Bazzell was asked if there was a conflict of interest with Collier and Stewart as they negotiated a new CBA.

"We've never once looked at this as a competitive tool towards the WNBA," Bazzell said. "There's so many positives from us both being in existence... The WNBA continuing to grow and thrive helps our league... Both parties help one another. I'm hopeful that they come to a CBA agreement."

This potential conflict of interest has been put on a pedestal as Collier fights against the WNBA leadership and Engelbert, although there is a fair case that the Lynx superstar is not doing this for the benefit of Unrivaled, as she likely legitimately wants the WNBA to be in a better place and wants her peers to benefit from having better leadership.

Regardless, though, Collier and Stewart being heavily involved in CBA negotiations raises some eyebrows, and it could continue to be a concern over the next few months.

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Logan Struck
LOGAN STRUCK

Logan Struck is a writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's On SI since 2023

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