WNBA Superstar Napheesa Collier Exposed Commissioner Cathy Engelbert For Blatantly Disrespectful Private Comment About Caitlin Clark As She Spilled All The Tea During Bombshell Exit Interview [VIDEO]
Napheesa Collier (Photo via X)
Napheesa Collier went to war with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert during her exit statement on Tuesday, calling the latter out for a lack of accountability as she delivered a powerful statement in front of reporters.
Collier, a senior member of the WNBA Players Association executive council, told the press she wanted to make a statement before taking on any questions, speaking for over four minutes as she discussed various concerns.
“We have the best league in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said. “Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders. If I didn’t know exactly what the job entailed, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.”
Engelbert, who recently came under fire for failing to present an acquisition deal to the league’s board of governors, was also exposed for a disrespectful comment about Caitlin Clark during a private conversation.
Napheesa Collier Claims Cathy Engelbert Was Dismissive Of Caitlin Clark’s Impact
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
The W’s commish is said to have suggested that Clark should be grateful for the platform afforded to her by the league, as she wouldn’t have made the millions she’s made in endorsements otherwise.
“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin (Clark), Angel (Reese), and Paige (Bueckers), who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” the Minnesota Lynx star disclosed.
“Her response was that ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes 16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything’. In that same conversation, she told me that ‘players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deals that I got them.’”
The statement follows a move that had folks suggesting that the league hates the former Iowa Star, whose second pro season ended early due to a groin injury.
Clark, who is clearly the face of the WNBA, has been the biggest reason for renewed interest in women’s basketball and is responsible for more than a quarter of the league’s revenue in 2024.
She was projected to earn the WNBA up to $1 billion this year, yet her four-year contract with the Indiana Fever is worth just $338,000.
The Fever star had a $5 million offer from the BIG3 that reportedly increased to $15 million before even getting drafted, but ultimately rejected the opportunity, which would have only required her to play a 10-game regular season.
