It might be time for Cathy Engelbert to go

Napheesa Collier shocked the women's basketball world yesterday when she bravely stood up for her fellow players, calling out the WNBA for having the "worst leadership in the world."

This comes after the Minnesota Lynx's Game 4 loss against the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals. Although, Phee made it incredibly clear that her statement was not about winning or losing. Instead, she chose to shine a light on the WNBA's lack of accountability at its leadership level. This is now going beyond the CBA negotiations that the WNBA Players' Association has been in with the league all year. Phee called out the officiating and the overall disregard from leadership regarding their product.

But honestly, if you have been paying attention to the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the league and the WNBA Players' Association, this probably did not come as much of a surprise. It has been made clear that the players are fed up. The CBA negotiations are currently in a stand-off, with players seeming ready to strike to start next season until an agreement can be reached.

What are the players asking for?

W players are asking for their fair share of revenue. They currently receive 9.3 percent of the league's income — which is the lowest percentage among pro leagues in the U.S. Their desired CBA includes an increase to a 50/50 share in revenue.

It appears Engelbert is not willing to budge. During Napheesa Collier's bombshell statement, she said the following:

"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 we'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."

It has become obvious that the players are not fans of how the league is being run. Collier included, "They (leadership) ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence."

Officiating has been a problem in the WNBA all season long. Players, coaches, and fans alike have become increasingly frustrated with the way games are being called. Instead of addressing the issue, the league has fined almost every player and coach who have spoken out. The head coach of Collier and her Minnesota Lynx teammates, Cheryl Reeve, was just fined $15,000, in part, for speaking up against the officials and league leadership.

Phee went on to give details about a conversation regarding bad officiating she and Engelbert had during the offseason. She claims Engelbert's response was, "Well, only the losers complain about the refs."

Another concern Collier brought up in this discussion with the Commissioner was about rookies who have brought a new level of revenue to the league, like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, getting paid so little for the first four years in the W due to rookie contracts. In which Cathy responded (according to Collier):

Caitlin (Clark) should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything."

"Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal I got them."

Just to be incredibly clear, Clark was making millions before even entering the league due to the new NIL rules in place for college athletes.

Collier went on to express her frustrations that this mentality is what the leaders driving this league hold. She said, "We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn't value us." She closed out with this:

"We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world."

Engelbert and players' responses

Shortly after Collier's claims, Engelbert put out this statement.

Unfortunately, for Engelbert, it might just be too late. Napheesa Collier is not the only player who feels this way about the WNBA's current leadership.

A number of different WNBA players stood with Phee yesterday. Including Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, who shared on her Instagram story a photo of herself and Collier with the caption, "Queen Phee."

A couple of players spoke out in the media as well. After her massive Game 5 win against the Indiana Fever, sending the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA Finals, A'ja Wilson said this, "I had an opportunity to listen to Phee, and I just want to say I was honestly disgusted by the comments that Cathy made ... but at the same time I am very appreciative that we have people like Phee in our community of our Players' Association representing us..."

If this league truly cares about its players like they claim to, it is probably time for Cathy Engelbert to go. There is so much enmity right now that the CBA negotiations are now about so much more than just revenue splits. The WNBA is nothing without these players, and Cathy Engelbert has clearly lost their trust.

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