Cathy Engelbert’s Caitlin Clark comments are absolutely stunning

While Napheesa Collier likely did not plan to have an exit interview at this stage of the postseason, she certainly was prepared for the moment when it came on Tuesday.

Collier opened her availability by reading a prepared statement for nearly five minutes that was nothing short of going full scorched earth on the WNBA. She blasted the WNBA’s league office and, specifically, commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

During her comments, Collier revealed a conversation she had with Engelbert at Unrivaled earlier this year on the topic of pay for rookies in the league.

“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that 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,” Collier said. “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 be making anything.‘”

Truly one of the most insane responses possible to that question.

It doesn’t take even a little bit of critical thinking to understand that Caitlin, as well as Angel and Paige, were extremely popular before coming into the WNBA. Whether you want to judge it by viewership records or endorsement deals, those players did not need the “platform” the WNBA provided. They were raking in huge amounts of money in NIL deals while still in college.

And if that wasn’t a wild enough anecdote from Collier, the very next sentence provided another one!

“In that same conversation, she told me ‘Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them,'” Collier said. “That’s the mentality driving our league from the top.”

Truly unbelievable.

The league did negotiate a lucrative 11-year, $2.2 billion TV deal that was announced last year, but holding it over the players like that is one of the more insane things I’ve ever heard a commissioner do.

And if this is where the two sides are as CBA negotiations will pick up again at season’s end, it’s hard to imagine a scenario that doesn’t involve a lockout. And a potentially lengthy one.

Collier serves as one of the vice presidents of the WNBPA, a role that has allowed her to have conversations with the league as they negotiate. However, after keeping these conversations out of the public and trying to solve the problems behind closed doors, Collier reached a breaking point.

“I’ve finally grown tired,” Collier said. “For too long, I’ve tried to have these conversations in private but it’s clear there’s no intention of accepting there’s a problem. The league has made it clear it isn’t about innovation, it isn’t about collaboration, it’s about control and power.”

All this comes as more and more focus on the league is not on the on-court product, despite being on the eve of the WNBA Finals, but on the officiating.

Collier’s coach, Cheryl Reeve, was handed the biggest individual fine in league history on Monday after being ejected from Minnesota’s Game 3 following Collier’s injury. Reeve had her own memorable press conference afterward that also played a big role in the fine.

“The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t rating or even missed calls or even physical play,” Collier said. “It’s the lack of accountability from the league office. Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates.

“Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing. But to also not care about the product on the floor is self-sabotage.”

Players and coaches have been fined repeatedly this season for criticizing the officials. Collier tried to address those concerns even before the season started and was met with another nearly unbelievable response.

“At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league,” Collier, who founded Unrivaled with Breanna Stewart, said. “Her response was ‘Well, only losers complain about the refs.’”

Truly, it does not feel like these two sides could be further apart.

The league is entering a critical time in its history. This new CBA could serve as a launching point for the league. The players appear to be aware of the importance of the deal, as evidenced by their shirts prior to the All-Star Game.

But Tuesday’s comments from Collier show how big the chasm is between the players and the league.