Someone should've called the fire station with the way Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier lit up a flame against the WNBA.
Collier did the exact opposite of holding back during his exit interview on Tuesday following the Lynx's elimination in the semifinals of the playoffs. She slammed the league for the supposed awful officiating, lack of protection for players, and the poor leadership of commissioner Cathy Engelbert, among others.
The 29-year-old Collier revealed a past conversation she had with Engelbert, which doesn't give the latter a good look.
“At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league. Her response was, ‘Well, only the losers complain about the refs,’” said Collier.
Her fiery remarks spread like wildfire across the WNBA. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese took to X to share her reaction.
“10/10. No notes!” wrote Reese, who's also been vocal about her criticisms of the league.
Collier mentioned Reese, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers for bringing a lot of revenue to the WNBA and stressed that they should be paid way more.
Aside from Reese, other players expressed their support for Collier's courage to speak out, including Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, Washington Mystics forward Alysha Clark, Phoenix Mercury center Kalani Brown, and even WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne.
In response, Engelbert said she's “disheartened” by Collier's comments but maintained her commitment to the players. Collier said she is already expecting a huge fine.
“Our leadership's answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone's voices by handing out fines. I'm not concerned about a fine. I'm concerned about the future of our sport,” added the Lynx forward.
It's the latest friction between the WNBA and its players, adding to the complexities amid the looming deadline for the new collective bargaining agreement.
