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WNBA Commissioner made absurd Caitlin Clark claim, Napheesa Collier says
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- WNBA Commissioner made absurd Caitlin Clark claim, Napheesa Collier says
The post WNBA Commissioner made absurd Caitlin Clark claim, Napheesa Collier says appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier gave her 2025 exit interview on Tuesday and took the opportunity to unload on WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert .
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As part of her prepared statement, Collier revealed a truly absurd comment that Engelbert allegedly made to her about Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark while they were meeting during Unrivaled's inaugural season over the winter.
"I also asked how she plans to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel [Reese] and Paige [Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years," Collier read. "Her response was, 'Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything.'"
If those are the words Engelbert actually used, they are verifiably false. Clark — along with Reese and Bueckers — were stars long before they stepped onto a WNBA court. As Bueckers is about to show when she suits up for Unrivaled this year, she will make hundreds of thousands of dollars completely away from Engelbert's league. If the WNBA were unavailable to Clark and Reese, they would undoubtedly do the same, and the sponsorships would follow.
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Napheesa Collier puts pressure on WNBA amid CBA negotiations
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Collier's comments didn't come solely as the result of a controversial no-call at the end of the Lynx ' Game 3 loss to the Phoenix Mercury last week ( NBA refs even consulted and decided a no-call was the correct decision). It is mainly due to a perceived lack of willingness at the league level to give the players what they deserve in the next round of CBA negotiations.
The league is facing a potential lockout in 2026 at a time when it has never had this much momentum. Coming off a historic media rights agreement that is about to make the WNBA profitable for the first time, Collier says Engelbert thought the players should be thanking her, not the other way around.
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"In that same conversation, she told me players should be 'on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal I got them,'" Collier said.
She concluded her statement with a summary of where she feels the league is right now :
"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," she said.
Related: WNBA reaches 11-year media rights deal to air games on USA Network
