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Napheesa Collier tells Kamala Harris why she called out WNBA commissioner
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- Napheesa Collier tells Kamala Harris why she called out WNBA commissioner
The post Napheesa Collier tells Kamala Harris why she called out WNBA commissioner appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has explained why she called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a scathing statement last week.
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Speaking at an event with former Vice President Kamala Harris, Collier said she "never had planned' to deliver such a public blow, but she felt it was necessary .
"I think I just got to the point where I was fed up," she said. "No matter the consequences, I felt like it was something that needed to be done."
Collier made waves during the Lynx' exit interviews following their semifinals loss to the Phoenix Mercury when she accused Engelbert of saying that "only losers" complain about officiating, players like Caitlin Clark only had sponsorship money because of the platform that the WNBA provides, and the players should be thankful for the TV contract she negotiated for them.
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"For so long I felt like I saw what was going on behind closed doors," Collier said. "For so long we'd try to have these conversations and move the needle in those meetings we would have with the league, with our leadership, and I saw nothing was changing."
Though Collier didn't specifically mention officiating in the part of her conversation with Harris that is circulating on social media, she appeared to respond to Engelbert's alleged comments.
"Coaches winning and losing alike were complaining about the same things over and over again, the players over and over again," she said. "And we weren't seeing change that our leadership was trying to make."
Players across the league have come out in support of Collier over the past week-plus as the Players Association tries to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the WNBA. The current CBA expires on October 31 and the league faces a potential work stoppage just as it has built unprecedented momentum.
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"Whether I was going to get annihilated for this or people were going to support me, I felt like what I was doing was right, I felt it needed to be said," Collier concluded. "So no matter the consequences, I felt it was something that needed to be done."
Related: 4 moves Lynx must make after 2025 WNBA Playoffs disaster
