WNBA star Napheesa Collier doesn’t hold back while calling out commissioner

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 the lack of accountability from our leaders

Accusations from one of the WNBA's biggest stars directed at Commissioner Kathy Engelbert and her leadership team

Nafisa Collier spoke out about everything from officiating to ongoing CBA negotiations with the league

She did not hold back. Collier spoke on Tuesday during her player exit interview, two days after the Minnesota

Lynx were eliminated from the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury. The five-time All-Star relayed a conversation she had with Engelbert back in February when

she asked the commissioner about starting salaries for young players Caitlin Clark

Angel Reese, and Paige Beckers. She also asked how the league was going to fix ongoing officiating issues

Her response was, well, 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 for their

first four years. 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

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. mentality driving our league from the top

Collier, the league MVP runner-up the last two seasons, is also vice president of the WNBA Players Union

and will sit across the table from league representatives during the upcoming CBA negotiations She also the co of the off three league Unrivaled which will begin its second season January 5th

Collier sat out the final two games of the Lynx playoff series with an ankle injury suffered in a collision with a Mercury player during Game 3

No foul was called on the play. Collier said ignoring the ongoing officiating issues is negligence on the league's part

Just hearing over and over and over again, We have the best refs in the world. We don't have a problem

None of the injuries are due to physicality and the way that we're reffing. It's an insult to my intelligence, honestly

Collier's comments came just hours after the league announced a new multi-year media rights deal with USA Network

The news was not lost on the Lynx star. They cry that they don't have enough money to pay the players

that they don't have the sustainability to pay the players when they're selling teams for $300 million

dollars when valuations are going up to almost half a billion dollars like it doesn't make sense

to us it's why we're fighting so hard in our cba and what we're going to continue to fight for

commissioner engelbert responded to collier's comments in a statement saying she has the

utmost respect for collier and all of the players in the wmba my focus remains on ensuring a bright

future for the players and the wmba including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the

game. I am disheartened by how Nafisa characterized our conversations and league leadership

but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work

will not waver. The league's collective bargaining agreement with the players expires on October 31st

If there isn't a new deal before then, the league could lock out the players

until an agreement is reached. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis