Home / Sports / WNBA Star Collier Slams League Leadership for Lack of Accountability
WNBA Star Collier Slams League Leadership for Lack of Accountability
30 Sep, 2025
Summary
- Collier, WNBA Players Association exec, criticizes commissioner and league
- Cites inconsistent officiating and lack of support after her own injury
- Calls WNBA leadership "the worst" and says players are "dispensable"
In a blistering statement on September 28, 2025, WNBA star Napheesa Collier sharply criticized the league's leadership, including Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, for their lack of accountability and dismissive approach to player concerns.
Collier, a senior member of the WNBA Players Association executive council, spoke for over four minutes, calling out the league's inconsistent officiating and lack of support for players. She revealed that she had not heard from Engelbert after sustaining an injury in the WNBA semifinals, with the only outreach coming from the commissioner's "number two" to say they did not believe physical play contributed to her injury.
"We have the best league in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But we have the worst leadership in the world," Collier said. She accused the league of treating championship coaches and Hall of Fame players as "dispensable," and vowed not to "stand quietly by" as different standards are applied at the league level.
Collier emphasized the need for the WNBA to better protect its players in the long term, stating that the league's talk of "sustainability" must translate to concrete measures to safeguard its talent on the court.
