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During his media availability at the end of the season on Tuesday, the Minnesota Lynx striker, Napheesa Collier, expressed his grievances with the management of the WNBA.
Necklace criticized the commissioner of the League Cathy Engelbert, suggesting that she had been “negligent” in her stewardship. “We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now, we have the worst leadership in the world,” collar said in a prepared statement.
The commentator Stephen A. Smith supported necklace and urged Engelbert to resign from his role as leadership. “I want to know how he devil someone said something like that about you as a commissioner,” said Smith in the latest edition of Espn’s “First Take”.
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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks at a press conference before match 1 of the Basketball WNBA finals between Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics, Washington, DC, September 29, 2019. (AP photo / Patrick Semansky)
“Whether David Stern or Adam Silver or Roger Goodell or Paul Tagliabue, could you imagine? Imagine a commissioner who is called directly like that, and this timid and warm declaration. She looks guilty like hell. And then I look at him, I say, you really say that it does not go if you don’t say if she is not worth it? very specific.
Napheesa Lynx Rails necklace against the management of WNBA, calls for officiating changes
Smith also suggested that Gelbert had positioned himself in such a way that it would not be able to negotiate in good faith in the future. The imminent offseason will probably be defined by the outcome of the collective negotiations of the negotiation agreements between the League and the Association of Players.
“And for the commissioner to come back with this, you cannot have it at the negotiating table talking to the players, basically collar said that it was in the process of our growth and our development as a league, not only on the side of the players, but on the side of the League. Of us.
Stephen A. Smith looks before a match between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics on November 19, 2021, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)
Necklace, WNBPA vice-president, has reprimanded Engelbert on several fronts. She expressed her frustration with regard to the officiating WNBA, citing the injury she suffered during the Lynx semi-final against the Phoenix Mercury. The referees did not whistle Mercury the striker Alyssa Thomas for a fault after contacting necklace. The non-appeal caused a strong reaction from the Lynx head coach, Cheryl Reeve.
After a confrontation in the field with civil servants, Reeve was ejected. She was then sentenced to a fine of the WNBA for criticizing the referees and accused leadership of having committed a “professional misconduct” for having allowed officials to call the eliminatory match.
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve looks at the third quarter of their match against Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena on August 2, 2025. (Candice Ward / Imagn images)
“If this is what the League wants, ok, but I want to call a change in leadership at the League in terms of commission,” said Reeve after the lynx defeat last Friday. “The crew officiating that we had this evening, so that leadership considers these three people in the semi-finals, is worthy of a professional fault.”
Engelbert has been a commissioner since 2019.
On Tuesday, the WNBA announced that it had concluded an 11 -year -old media rights agreement with USA Network. The agreement gives the wired network the broadcasting rights over at least 50 games per season from 2026. The United States will also wear playoffs and the WNBA finals.
The WNBA and the NBA had previously announced an 11 -year agreement with Nbcuniversal, Walt Disney Co. and Amazon.
“The partnership with Visse and USA Network marks another important step for the continuous WNBA growth,” said Engelbert in part in a press release. Earlier this year, NBC Universal unveiled plans to turn USA Network and other cable assets in a new business, which should be called a slope.
