Sophie Cunningham doubles down on Napheesa Collier call out of WNBA, Cathy Engelbert: 'They don't know shit about basketball'

Minnesota Lynx star power forward Napheesa Collier sat down at her exit interview on Tuesday with a prepared statement for the media regarding the Women’s National Basketball Association. She criticized the accountability of their leadership in the WNBA, namely Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, in several facets of their league, whether officiating, paying their players, or just the general product on their floors.

Collier’s statement has set off a chain reaction around the league, bringing multiple players out of the woodwork to give their criticisms of the league. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was the latest to tear down the league’s leadership during Thursday’s exit interview.

Cunningham, who was just one of several Fever players to suffer injuries this season, tore down officiating. She also accused those in positions of power in the WNBA of “not knowing shit about basketball.”

“I’m gonna be good today. I am because I’m just tired of our league,” Cunningham, one of the more vocal WNBA stars, said. “They need to step up and be better. Our leadership from top to bottom needs to be held accountable. I think that there are a lot of people in position of power in the WNBA who might be really good business people. But they don’t know shit about basketball. That’s gotta change.

“I said I was gonna be good and I just messed up, but I think everyone’s frustrated. When NBA players, from that side of things are reaching out to us in awe of how terrible it is, that’s saying something. That’s absolutely saying something when our counterparts are feeling bad for us because of how we’re getting treated. I mean come on. From leadership, it’s just bad.”

Cunningham didn’t stop there. She continued her shredding of the WNBA.

“When fans and players, especially players… we’re competing at the highest level and it’s like a battlefield out there,” Cunningham said. “When we’re agreeing on the court because of how awful the officials are, that’s saying something. Listen to us. We’re not gonna come for your heads, but there’s room for improvement to change the criteria when the whole league is asking for it. When leadership isn’t doing anything about it, why? I think there’s this frustration.

“The game’s not fun to watch because everyone’s just trying to kill each other, because that’s how you’re gonna surviv,e otherwise you get injured. Otherwise, it just sucks. Our game is changing and we want it to be physical, but you still want to watch good basketball. When they can’t get that under control, it’s not fun.”