If you were to ask any fan, can the 2026 WNBA season kick off as per schedule a few months back – the answer would be no. That felt impossible considering the tensions between the players and the league were at a sky-high level because of the CBA negotiations. But before the WNBA calendar could be affected, the two sides came in clutch and agreed to a historic Collective Bargaining Agreement. Still, for Napheesa Collier, the path that led to this moment hasn’t been easy to look back on.
Back in 2025, Collier publicly unleashed her wrath on commissioner Cathy Engelbert by calling the league leadership “tone-deaf,” “dismissive,” and “the worst leadership in the world.” Those comments quickly put the league under an intense spotlight during the CBA battle. However, now she thinks she may have been a little harsh.
“Thinking about the state of the world right now, I think that was a little dramatic,” she recently admitted. “It was tense for a while. Just between the players and the league in general. I think it was something that needed to happen, and it was something that furthered our CBA negotiations.”
“I’m still happy that I did it, and I think it had the intended effect of moving our negotiations along. I think an unintended consequence would be, like, I never want someone’s personal life affected the way that it was for her,” she further added.
Phee on her “worst leadership in the world” criticism of Cathy:
“Thinking about the state of the world right now… that was a little dramatic… I’m still happy that I did it, and I think it had the intended effect of moving our negotiations along. I think an unintended… pic.twitter.com/G8m1Bc1Ofp
— Vanshay
NEW ACCOUNT (@mvanshay) May 6, 2026
During her exit interview following Minnesota’s playoff elimination, Collier went far beyond a standard criticism of officiating over league operations. She openly questioned the WNBA’s leadership structure, accused the league of failing its players during a period of historic growth, and expressed frustration over stagnant CBA discussions that were becoming increasingly contentious behind the scenes.
This led to a massive backlash from the fans directed towards the league and Engelbert on a personal level. However, Napheesa Collier clarified that her frustration had always been directed toward league leadership professionally, not personally. “What I was talking about was professional, and when you take things personally, that was an unintended consequence for sure.”
But that pressure eventually helped produce one of the most significant labor shifts in league history. Under the new CBA agreement, the WNBA will raise the salary cap from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million, while teams are expected to increase supermax salaries from roughly $249,000 to around $1.4 million. Moreover, analysts project that average salaries will increase from approximately $120,000 to nearly $600,000, while teams will now set minimum salaries to surpass $300,000.
Those numbers alone explain why players fought as aggressively as they did throughout negotiations. So while Collier now admits parts of her criticism may have come across harsher than intended, looking at where the league stands today, it is difficult to argue the players walked away without meaningful change. But it’s worth noting that though her comments sparked strong reactions outside the league, what stood out even more was how quickly fellow players rallied behind her.
Napheesa Collier’s Explosive Comments Had the Entire WNBA Rallying Behind Her
Once Collier publicly did what she did, the conversation around the league changed almost instantly as it quickly turned into something much bigger, because stars across the WNBA openly backed her stance.
One of the most notable reactions came from Caitlin Clark, who admitted Collier made “a lot of very valid points.” That response carried extra weight considering Collier had also claimed commissioner Cathy Engelbert told her that Clark “should be grateful” for the off-court money and opportunities she received through the WNBA platform. Engelbert had remarked how certain WNBA players should be “on their knees” and grateful to the league for their success.
Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson didn’t hold back either while reacting to the situation back then. “I just want to say I was honestly disgusted by the comments that Cathy made,” Wilson said. “I’m grateful to have people like Phee continue to speak up for us. I’m gonna ride with Phee always. We gotta continue to stand on business.”
Even Clark’s Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham publicly stood with Collier, saying, “We all feel that way, and we’re all going to back her.” Collier and Sophie Cunnigham had termed the leadership “toxic.”
Angel Reese also joined the wave of support shortly after her press conference, posting a simple: “10/10. No notes!”
So looking back now, the overwhelming support behind Napheesa Collier makes a lot more sense considering the league ultimately moved toward many of the changes players had been demanding all along.
