The Las Vegas Aces may have captured their third WNBA championship by defeating the Phoenix Mercury in four games, but the spotlight has quickly shifted away from celebration to controversy.
Instead of parades and praise dominating headlines, the conversation around the league has been dominated by frustration and criticism of leadership. The latest twist? A WNBA owner has broken the silence to share their blunt feelings about Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s rant, which was targeted at league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
What Has a WNBA Owner Said Regarding Napheesa Collier?
In a recent ESPN report, an anonymous WNBA owner admitted they “can’t stand” the way Collier publicly blasted Engelbert following the Lynx’s playoff exit. The owner emphasized that the manner in which Collier voiced them painted the league in a negative light.
“I can’t stand what [Collier] did. That was a private conversation. It makes me not want to fire her, even though I think she should be fired,” said the WNBA owner as per ESPN.
Everything began during the Minnesota Lynx’s exit interview, where Collier let her frustrations spill out. She voiced what many WNBA players have quietly felt for years which was the growing discontent over inconsistent officiating and the glaring pay disparity compared to their NBA counterparts.
Collier said she had previously spoken to Commissioner Engelbert about these issues, using Caitlin Clark as an example. Clark’s arrival had dramatically boosted the WNBA’s popularity, media coverage, and sponsorship deals, yet salaries across the board remained underwhelming.
According to Collier, instead of empathy or acknowledgment, Engelbert allegedly told her that players like Clark “should be grateful” for having a platform in the WNBA. That reported response struck a nerve across the league. Within hours, players, coaches, and analysts took to social media and interviews to express outrage.
While the first anonymous owner criticized Collier’s public statements, another WNBA team owner offered a contrasting view. They suggested that the real issue wasn’t Collier’s outburst, but rather Engelbert’s communication style.
“I believe Napheesa’s comments… I think sometimes the approach of [Engelbert’s] message hasn’t always been delivered well… CBA negotiations and other negotiations are always hard, but it might not have been as confrontational, I think, if there was a little bit better dialogue and relationship-building there. And I don’t know at this stage if that’s repairable or not,” said another WNBA owner as per ESPN.
As tensions simmer all eyes now turn to the looming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) deadline on October 31. With so much friction between players and league leadership it’s unclear how negotiations will unfold or whether new player-empowerment clauses could emerge as a direct result of this incident.
