Napheesa Collier cancels meeting with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, per report

Two-time WNBA First Team selection Napheesa Collier made headlines around the sports world last week when she criticized the accountability of their leadership in the WNBA.

She namely went after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert regarding several facets of their league. This included officiating, paying their players, and just the general product on their floors. Collier’s comments set off a chain reaction around the league, eliciting responses from fellow WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham.

“I want to be clear. This conversation is not about winning or losing,” Collier said. “It’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings, or even missed calls or physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office,” Collier began. “Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates. 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.

“The league has a buzzword that they’ve rolled out as talking points for the CBA as to why they can’t pay the players what they’re worth. That word is sustainability, but what’s truly unsustainable is keeping a good product on the floor while allowing officials to lose control of games. Fans see it every night. Coaches, both winning and losing, point it out every night in pregame and postgame media. Yet leadership just issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence.”

Collier was set to have a meeting with Englebert next week, but that has reportedly now been canceled per ESPN‘s Kendra Andrews.

Napheesa Collier has canceled her meeting with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert next week, per @kendra__andrews.

Friday’s press conference reportedly “pushed the relationship beyond repair.” pic.twitter.com/DxhewtRelc

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 4, 2025

Collier called out past conversations with Engelbert

Collier then shared some conversations about issues that she has attempted to have with Engelbert. Her apparent responses, about both officiating as well as their players’ compensation, were not what she wanted to hear from the leader of their league.

“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,’” recalled Collier.

“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 conversation, she told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.”

Engelbert responded to criticism prior to beginning of WNBA Finals

Ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, Engelbert addressed Collier’s comments.

“I have the utmost respect for Napheesa and for every single player in our league. They are at the center of everything we do,” Engelbert said. “I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league, and me personally do not care about them or listen to them. And 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.

“We know how great these players are on and off the court, how much they mean to our league, our fans and our communities. If they don’t feel that, I will do everything I can to change that. No one should ever doubt how deeply I care about this league, this game, and every single player who makes the WNBA what it is. So, we value feedback. We listen to criticism. We remain committed to engaging in the difficult but necessary conversations that ultimately make us all stronger.”

While it seemed like a meeting between these two was once planned, that is now off the table (at least for now).

On3’s Sam Gillenwater and Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.