Napheesa Collier Reportedly Cancels Meeting With WNBA Commissioner: 'Beyond Repair'
What started as a tense exit interview has spiraled into an all-out standoff between players and Cathy Engelbert.
The relationship between WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and one of the league’s biggest stars has officially hit rock bottom.
Just days after eviscerating Engelbert and WNBA leadership in a fiery exit interview, Minnesota Lynx forward and WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier has reportedly canceled a planned meeting with the commissioner.
Collier had originally agreed to meet with Engelbert this week to address the backlash from her viral press conference, where she accused league leadership of "negligence," dismissiveness and failing to protect players.
But according to ESPN, Engelbert’s response on Friday — denying several of Collier’s claims and calling her comments "inaccurate" — was the final straw.
MORE: WNBA Commissioner Speaks Out After Napheesa Collier Criticism, 'Lot Of Inaccuracy Out There'
That interview "Pretty much pushed the relationship beyond repair," one source told ESPN.
Collier had not formally notified Engelbert of the canceled meeting as of Saturday, according to a league spokesperson. But the message is crystal clear: the trust is gone, and things are getting uglier by the day.
Cathy Engelbert Denies Claims, Says She's ‘Disheartened’
At her WNBA Finals press conference on Friday, Engelbert said she was "obviously disheartened" by Collier’s criticisms and insisted that some of the most explosive quotes were taken out of context or fabricated entirely.
"I did not make those comments," Engelbert said when asked if she told Collier that Caitlin Clark should be grateful for the WNBA platform because "she wouldn’t make anything" without it.
"There is a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all of this reporting," Engelbert added. "I highly respect the players. There is a lot of emotion and passion going on right now between collective bargaining. ... I am obviously disheartened."
Engelbert also denied telling players they should be "on their knees thanking their lucky stars" for the WNBA’s new $2.2 billion media rights deal. But she stopped short of directly addressing several other specific accusations. Instead, the commissioner insisted she planned to meet with Collier soon to smooth things over.
That meeting is now off the table.
Sophie Cunningham: They Don’t Know Sh*t About Basketball’
Collier isn't the only player going scorched earth on league leadership. Since Tuesday's exit interview, stars across the league have come out in support of Collier, both in comments to reporters and on social media.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said she’s "just tired" of how things are being run from the top down.
"Our leadership from top to bottom needs to be held accountable," Cunningham said Thursday. "I think there are a lot of people in positions of power in the WNBA who might be really great business people, but they don’t know sh*t about basketball."
Fever teammate Caitlin Clark and league MVP A'ja Wilson also publicly backed Collier during press conferences last week.
Relationship Between League And Players Is Broken
In her exit interview, Collier said she’d remained quiet for as long as she could — trying to work with Engelbert behind closed doors. But those efforts went nowhere.
"The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them. I have the privilege of watching my husband run a league where he has to balance 100 different things at once," Collier said, referring to the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league.
"I won’t pretend the job is easy … but do you know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy. Not one call. Not one text."
MORE: Napheesa Collier Torches WNBA Commissioner: 'Worst Leadership In The World'
That was before Engelbert stood behind a microphone and called Collier’s story "inaccurate."
Whatever relationship existed between the commissioner and one of her most influential players is now gone.
It's safe to say the WNBA and its players association won't have a new collective bargaining agreement in place by the October 31 deadline. With the way things are escalating, though, fans are beginning to wonder if there will be a 2026 season at all.