Napheesa Collier came prepared for her exit interview on Tuesday, delivering a blistering statement on her thoughts on the current state of the WNBA.
Collier, a senior member of the WNBA Players Association executive council, started her press conference calling out the WNBA and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for a lack of accountability.
The Minnesota Lynx star spoke for more than four minutes about topics including inconsistent officiating, which she feels the commissioner and the rest of the league’s leadership aren’t addressing.
“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,” the runner-up for MVP said. “Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders. If I didn’t know exactly what the job entailed, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.
“But unfortunately for them, I do believe we serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable, and that’s fine. It’s professional sports, but I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level.”
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Collier was annoyed she hadn’t heard from Engelbert following her injury in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals.
“Not one call, not one text. Instead, the only outreach has come from her number two telling my agent that she doesn’t believe physical play contributed to injuries. That is infuriating,” Collier said. “It’s the perfect example of the tone deaf, dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take.”
Collier wants the league to do a better job protecting its players in the long term.
“The league talks about sustainability. This is about sustainability. How are you going to protect your players? How are you going to make sure that we have the best products on the floor night after night, when it’s so inconsistent and people are getting hurt left and right?”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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