The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury deserve ample praise for representing the sport in the 2025 WNBA Finals, but they are splitting focus with several other league issues. Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier put the higher-ups on the defensive after her blistering remarks earlier in the week, doing her part as a WNBA Players Association vice president to give the talent some leverage in the quest for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, the biggest recipient of her ire, was forced to address the lambasting she received.
Given how extensive the two-time MVP runner-up was in her critique of leadership, which included officiating gripes and a lack of financial compensation for younger athletes, Engelbert had to dive into several topics ahead of Friday night's Game 1. And they all directly challenge her ability as commish. Needless to say, this is probably not how she wanted to spend a portion of her evening in the Entertainment Capital of the World.
Cathy Engelbert speaks following Napheesa Collier's harangue
Engelbert knows she has to first make amends with the players, because if she does not regain their support, the external pressure could reach overwhelming levels. “If the players in the W don't feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better and I have to do better,” she said, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
Collier stated that the sixth-year commissioner told her that Caitlin Clark should be grateful for the WNBA's platform, for without it, she would not have the opportunity to rake in so much revenue off the court. Engelbert denied saying such things, but her reputation has already incurred serious damage. She can only make the best out of this grim situation.
The polarizing authority figure also addressed league officiating, which Napheesa Collier and Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve eviscerated during the playoffs.
“It's pretty clear that we're misaligned currently on what our stakeholders want from officiating,” Cathy Engelbert said, per Philippou. In response to the vehement frustrations regarding this issue, she says the league will “take a hard look via the competition committee and a newly formed state of the game committee.”
One has to wonder how the players will react to Engelbert's comments. The current CBA expires at the end of October. Many are preparing for a dragged-out war between both sides. Before things get uglier, though, a new champion will be crowned.
