Let’s give you some context. It all started when Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier used her exit interview to drop several allegations about the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. Among them was a claim that, when Collier asked to increase WNBA players’ salaries by highlighting how much stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese help generate in revenue, the commissioner allegedly said, “(Clark) should be grateful. She makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.” Now, finally, the Indiana Fever star has broken her silence on this issue.

During her exit interview, Clark reportedly threw her support behind Napheesa Collier by stating, “First of all, I have great respect for ‘Phee, and I think she made a lot of very valid points.” Through this, she did not directly touch upon the topic of herself, but she did highlight other points raised by Collier, such as her failure to sufficiently address issues with officiating, player compensation, and the overall state of the product. Further, Clark dropped her own criticism of the commissioner by stating, “I think what people need to understand, we need great leadership in this time across all levels. This is straight up the most important moment in this league’s history.”

However, WNBA reporter Chloe Peterson also reported that the Fever star mentioned that Collier didn’t tell her she was going to mention her endorsement money during the conversations with Cathy Engelbert. The same caught her by surprise. And this surprise fuels claims from her fans that Napheesa Collier has allegedly been using Caitlin Clark for her own agenda — to give her and Breanna Stewart’s league, Unrivaled, a better standing.

In the aftermath of Peterson’s reporting, X was filled with comments, with one user writing, “Napheesa Collier is a baby-faced version of Cathy Engelbert 🤣🤣🤣🤷🏽‍♂️ We are watching Unrivaled vs the WNBA play out.” Another user wrote, “And the fact that Napheesa Collier used Caitlin Clark’s name w/o giving her a heads up, showing how high school and unprofessional the WNBAPA really is. B/c that’s your vice president who complained about communicating w/ players doing the same thing.”

Caitlin Clark, like several other WNBA players, has reportedly taken a stance against the low pay that female basketball players receive. This was seen during the WNBA All-Star game when, even though she didn’t participate due to her groin injury, the Fever star had also donned a ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’ T-shirt. Furthermore, with the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ being reportedly credited for bringing in a surge of game viewership and record attendance, no one has a better foundation to demand a pay raise than Clark. However, Clark reportedly never asked anyone to negotiate on her behalf.

Furthermore, Chloe Peterson’s tweet also brings up an additional question: Where did the $16 million figure, which Cathy Engelbert claims Clark makes off the court, come from? Was it brought up by Napheesa Collier? There is a good probability since both Clark and Collier share the same agent (Erin Kane). 

Whatever may be the case, such comments gave the ammunition needed for renowned analysts and sportscasters to take a stance against the WNBA commissioner.

Stephen A. Smith gives an ultimatum to Cathy Engelbert following Caitlin Clark’s comments

The 57-year-old sent his praise to the Fever star: “The person I call the golden goose of the WNBA, Caitlin Clark — you understand who is box office for the WNBA — for her to come out and say, ‘Phee said it all,’ she’s letting you know that Napheesa Collier didn’t lie, she didn’t mince words, and she didn’t mix words on what the collective body of the league is feeling about this commissioner and her leadership.” 

“I don’t care who it is. If someone calls you out publicly and you’re in a leadership position, you don’t give what I called that weak [explicit] response — that’s what she did. What you did was provide fire to the belief that everything Napheesa Collier said was the absolute truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God. You do that? It’s time for you to go.”

This isn’t the first instance of the ESPN sportscaster touching base on this recent controversy. Prior to Clark, Cathy Engelbert herself had spoken out about Collier’s comments. Without mentioning Caitlin Clark, the commissioner said that she has the utmost respect for the Lynx player and for all the players in the WNBA, and that her focus remains on ensuring a bright future for them.

With that, Engelbert also added: “I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.” Smith used that very statement against her and said, “Whether it was David Stern or Adam Silver or Roger Goodell or Paul Tagliabue, could you imagine a commissioner being called out like that directly? And that timid, tepid statement. Oh, she looks guilty as hell.”

According to reports, Cathy Engelbert can most likely be out as WNBA commissioner under the new proposed CBA. If that happens, this controversy can be put to bed, including any conspiracy theories or staunch beliefs regarding Napheesa Collier using Caitlin Clark. For now, however, this issue remains for WNBA fans to ponder.