By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

As a thrilling WNBA Finals series between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury continues out West, many eyes are turning towards the upcoming expiration of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. With controversial clashes and rocky relations across the league, many are bracing for a hard fought period of negotiation as the league approaches its next era.

At the top of the long list of issues is a new spat between WNBA MVP runner-up and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Collier’s season came to an end with a brutal injury at the end of Minnesota’s Game 3 loss to Phoenix. In the final seconds, Mercury star Alyssa Thomas pounced for a steal, with her legs clashing with Collier’s as she took over possession.

Thomas put home a layup on the other end to finish the Mercury win and establish a 2-1 series lead, but the no-call by the refs led to an explosion from longtime Lynx leader Cheryl Reeve. Lynx players and assistant coaches had to help keep Reeve restrained as she was ejected from the game, and the coach’s comments in the postgame presser led to a suspension for Game 4. Without their star player and coach, the #1 seeded Lynx fell to the Mercury.

“When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt, there’s fights, and this is the look that our league wants for some reason,” Reeve said to open up her press conference. “I want to call for a change in leadership at the league level… it’s bad for the game.”

Reeve went on to comment on Collier’s lack of free throw attempts in a very physical series, calling the league’s choice of referee crew “malpractice,” along with some more harsh verbiage. On top of her suspension, Reeve was fined $15,000 for her comments, with the WNBA also fining the Aces’ Becky Hammon and Fever’s Stephanie White $1,000 for voicing their support for the Lynx coach.

Collier suffered multiple torn ligaments that will cause her to miss the 2nd season of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball league, in which she was the inaugural MVP last year. She wasn’t any softer on Engelbert and the league’s referee issues in her exit interview a few days later. “Year after year the only thing that remains consistent is a lack of accountability from our leaders,” the WNBA Players Association Vice President said.

Collier then brought up a previous conversation with Engelbert, noting that young stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers drive significant revenue while making very little in their first four seasons of professional basketball.

“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,” Collier recalled. “That’s the mentality driving the league from the top. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.”

Engelbert denied some of her comments and said she was “disheartened” to hear the remarks made about the league’s leadership. “If the players in the W don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better and I have to do better,” she said.

Some Liberty players were also vocal about Engelbert’s comments and how the league values their young stars. In an October 3 post on X/Twitter, Isabelle Harrison asked “Why won’t our commissioner talk about the fact that a transformational CBA requires a salary system that actually values the players and the revenue they drive in a meaningful way?”

Both Harrison and Natasha Cloud stated that they were standing with Collier, and Emma Meesseman posted “Phee for President” on her socials. Another Liberty star to speak out was Breanna Stewart, who currently serves as another Vice President in the WNBAPA.

“Phee and I agree – what’s best for the players is best for the business. The W’s growth depends on valuing its athletes,” Stewart said in a statement. “The CBA is where commitment is proven – and where the future of our game is decided.”

The Players Association will have some heavy requirements to meet before signing off on a new CBA, with many expecting it will require Engelbert stepping down as commissioner due to the growing rift between her and the league’s players. Between Engelbert, the referee issues, and contract valuation, negotiations are sure to be intense and long-lasting.

Whether the league can avoid a lockout is to be seen, but it would be detrimental to both the league and women’s basketball as a whole if the highly-anticipated 2026 season is delayed. The W has made leaps and bounds over the recent years, and now it’s time to see how that growth pays off for the players who have paved the way.