As Napheesa Collier took the podium for her exit interview, the expectation was that she would just talk about her season and, of course, her injury. But what followed was way beyond everybody’s expectations. From the first line she read to the last, she exposed shocking details about the WNBA’s leadership. And as expected, Napheesa Collier is getting support from all teammates.

In an appearance on the Good Follow podcast with Ros Gold-Onwude, Napheesa Collier’s ex-teammate Angel McCoughtry spoke in support of her. Not only did she support Phee, but she also brought attention to a $180 million question that seemed lost in chaos. She said, “Here is a fact. The league signed a new media rights deal valued at $200 million a year. So, if you have 156 players in the league making between $15-20 million, where is the rest of the money going? Do the match.”

Considering this, Angel McCoughtry raised a very valid point about where the rest of the money is going. But that wasn’t all. Angel continued and dropped another bombshell.

She said, “And I’m going to expose the main bombshell here that nobody is talking about. Everybody’s salary is out. Adam Silver’s salary is out. The WNBA, the NBA’s salaries are out. There’s one person whose salary is not out. Cathy Engelbert. Why Can we not google her salary? Why is it hidden? At Deloitte, she made $3 million. That’s what we know she made at her last job. So, we know for a fact that at least, she’s making $3 million per year, not while my WNBA players are making $60,000.”

Throughout the whole CBA negotiations, one thing that the WNBPA stressed a lot was getting more transparency in the league’s finances. We already know that for the recent expansion teams (Philadelphia, Detroit, and Cleveland), the expansion fee was $250 million. Combine that with the annual $200 million, and there is significant money coming into the league. But there is no clarity about where all this money is going.

If we look at the past trends, it makes it even harder for the WNBA players to trust the league. According to a Bloomberg report in 2023. The league earned around $180-200 million in the 2022 WNBA season. However, in a dangerous trend, the revenue share with the players actually decreased. In 2019, the revenue share percentage was 11.1%. However, in 2022, that percentage dropped to 9.3%. With reports like these so readily available, Napheesa Collier’s statements are fully justified. Now, with just 30 days left until the current CBA expires, it will be interesting to see if there will be an agreement or will head to the WNBA’s first-ever lockout.

Let’s also take a look at what her teammate has to say in her support.

A’ja Wilson Voices Support for Napheesa Collier After her Exit-Interview

Joining the masses of fans, analysts, and players, the reigning MVP of the league, A’ja Wilson, has also come in support of Napheesa Collier. Speaking to the media after the Las Vegas Aces won Game 5, A’ja Wilson said that she was disgusted with the comments made by Cathy Engelbert. She also appreciated having players like Phee standing up for players.

She said, “But at the same time, I’m very appreciative that we have people like Phee in our committee of players’ association representing us, because that’s what we are going to have to continue to make the push to stand on what we believe in. I’m grateful to have those types of people be able to continue to speak up for us.”. With the amount of respect A’ja Wilson has in the league, her comments in support of Napheesa are certainly going to add some more momentum to this player’s movement.

But A’ja Wilson is not the only major voice who has supported her. After the revelation of Cathy’s comments about Caitlin Clark. Her ‘protector’, Sophie Cunningham, also sprang into action and supported her. While there is still a lot to do, it seems like, after Napheesa Collier’s comments, we are one step closer to seeing the WNBA players finally get what they are owed. Now, the question remains of when and not if….