What may have begun as a private disagreement between Napheesa Collier and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has now unfolded into a full-blown public standoff, overshadowing even the Finals. Collier hadn’t publicly spoken about her comments from last Tuesday, and canceled a meeting set up with Engelbert, citing “lack of accountability.” The timing of her remarks– amid stalled CBA negotiations and Unrivaled’s meteoric $340 million valuation already had sparked debate over her intentions. Were her motives purely personal or strategically tied to the new league she co-founded? And now, she has finally cleared out any doubts about speaking out. 

Well, Collier spoke about this during a conversation with former Vice President Kamala Harris at Unreasonable Conversation in LA, which might bust those myths. Harris called Collier a ‘living example of courage’ on stage, applauding her decision to publicly challenge the league’s leadership. Collier explained, “I never had planned to do that before. I am on the union for our CBA negotiations, like our collective bargaining negotiations for our league. And so, for so long, I felt like I saw what was going on behind closed doors.

“For so long, we tried to have these conversations and move the needle in those meetings that we would have with the league, within our leadership. And I saw nothing was changing. Coaches, winning and losing alike, were complaining about the same things over and over again. And we weren’t seeing a change that our leadership was trying to make. And I think I just got to the point where I was fed up.” Well, Phee probably reached her breaking point during Game 3 of the semifinals.

The Lynx were down by four, fighting to keep their season alive, when Collier drove hard to the basket and collided with Alyssa Thomas. She crashed to the floor….but the whistle never came. No foul. No stoppage. Later, the MRI revealed the kind of news no athlete ever wants to hear: three Grade 2 torn ligaments and a torn muscle in her lower leg.

Sources report that Collier spent the night before drafting her 4½-minute statement at the Phoenician hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, alone and in pain, determined to call out Engelbert’s leadership and the league’s inaction on officiating. She had also communicated these concerns within days of a February meeting where Engelbert allegedly dismissed complaints about refereeing and told top players they should be “grateful” for the platform the WNBA gives them.

It was back in October last year when the WNBPA voted to opt out of the current CBA, and negotiations with Cathy Engelbert and her team have been ongoing ever since. The players have been firm about what they want — a fairer revenue-sharing model, as they currently receive less than 10% of the league’s Basketball Related Income. They’ve also been pushing for better officiating, but according to Phee, Engelbert dismissed those concerns, saying, “Only the losers complain about the refs.” 

League insiders are closely watching the Unrivaled angle. While Collier and Stewart maintain the league was never meant to compete with the WNBA, sources tell ESPN that they initially offered the WNBA a small equity stake in Unrivaled to show alignment, though league rules ultimately prevented such a partnership. Some executives continue to view Collier’s dual role– as a WNBPA executive committee member and co-founder of a rival league– as a potential conflict of interest, especially with the CBA negotiations heating up.

The frustrations of being locked in a negotiation for almost a year with no seeming progress is definitely tiring and you can understand why Napheesa Collier took the step. Now, in her latest press conference, Engelbert vowed to rebuild trust with the players. She also promised the creation of a new multi-stakeholder task force aimed at finally addressing the issues around officiating. But that only happened after Phee took the drastic step.

A longtime WNBA executive called this moment an ‘inflection point’ for the league, noting that while transparency can be achieved quickly, rebuilding trust with players will take far longer. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also weighed in, highlighting that while the league’s growth has been historic, relationship issues with players must be addressed, and emphasizing that the Finals should remain the focus before resuming CBA negotiations.

Her decision still faces plenty of skepticism, with many questioning whether she should even be part of the WNBPA committee. Players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and A’ja Wilson have publicly supported Collier’s statement, framing it as a necessary reckoning for the league, while others worry about Unrivaled’s increasing influence over players’ offseason decisions and pay.

League sources still unsure of Napheesa Collier’s speech

A new ESPN report on Monday has put the spotlight squarely on Napheesa Collier, revealing league executives’ growing unease about her role in the CBA negotiations. Sources claim that Collier, who last week delivered a four-minute prepared statement calling out Engelbert’s leadership, is using the looming threat of a work stoppage to give a boost to Unrivaled, which some insiders now view as a competitor to the WNBA.

“It’s a total conflict of interest,” one league source told ESPN about Collier’s dual role as WNBPA executive committee member and Unrivaled co-founder. “[Collier’s] husband runs the league that’s in competition with the W, and she has equity in it.”

But time and again, both Collier and Stewart have stressed that Unrivaled was never meant to replace the WNBA. It’s a league that offers better facilities and higher pay for WNBA stars. According to the founders, their goal isn’t to compete with the WNBA but to serve as the premier offseason destination for players who would rather earn more money staying home than playing overseas.

The question is: do you buy their statement, or do you think the whispers about Phee acting with an ulterior motive might hold water? Time will tell, but we’d love to hear what you really think about this whole ordeal.