To say that the Minnesota Lynx are displeased with the WNBA would be the understatement of the year. Only days after head coach Cheryl Reeve was suspended for her on court actions, and post game comments, Napheesa Collier took aim at league management, including WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“Our leadership’s answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone’s voices by handing out fines,” Collier said. “I’m not concerned about a fine, I’m concerned about the future of our sport. At some point, everyone deserves to hear the truth from someone who I hope has earned the benefit of the doubt to fight for what is right and fair for our athletes and our fans.”
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now we have the worst leadership in the world. If I didn’t know exactly what the job entailed, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way, but unfortunately for them, I do. We serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable and that’s fine. It’s professional sports, but I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level.”
“This past February, I sat across from [Engelbert] and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league,” Collier said. “Her response was, ‘Well, only the losers complain about the refs.’ I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like [Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league and are making so little for their first four years.”
“Her response was, ‘[Clark] should be grateful. She makes $16 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.'”
“I’m sure they’ll fine me,” Collier finished. “I mean, it seems like anything with free speech is fined now.”
Collier, who acts as both the VP of the WNBA players association, and a co-founder of the Unrivaled league, is arguably one of the most important voices in the league when it comes to shaping the future of women’s professional basketball. And it certainly appeared as though her thoughts weren’t limited to just the Lynx locker room, as players from around the league lent voices of support in the hours following her statement.
For her part, commissioner Engelbert responded with prepared remarks of her own, expressing disappointment in Collier for her stance.
“My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game,” the statement read. “I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.”
A fine is all but guaranteed at this point for Collier, though the first stone in the upcoming labour negotiations has been cast. And if they’re anything like the recent war of words, one can assume that they’ll be contentious talks to say the least.
Both sides have until October 31st to vote to extend the negotiating window, though they remain far apart on a wide range of topics from rookie pay, to revenue sharing, and more. It would certainly appear as though a lockout appears to be the most likely outcome in the near future barring a significant change in leadership at the league’s head offices. Which may be exactly what Collier & Co. are hoping for by going public with their grievances.
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.