“The WNBA is experiencing some growth pains…. It’s become too personal and we’re going to have to work through those issues,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in regards to the CBA negotiations after the Collier-Cathy drama. However, amidst Collier’s recent remarks about the WNBA commissioner and the support she has gathered over the same, a narrative has formed that the negotiations are no longer solely driven by business. However, Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike speaks otherwise.

WNBA legend and 4x league champion Sue Bird and Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike recently engaged in a conversation. During the same time, Sue Bird highlighted the importance of trust in something like the CBA negotiations. She stated that even Adam Silver emphasized it in his recent remarks. However, when Bird asked Ogwumike about her thoughts on the same, she focused on a different part of Silver’s remarks. The ‘personal’ part.

“I disagree that it’s personal. We’ve been saying this from the beginning. I think maybe, perhaps even since opt out, it’s business. That’s certainly the mantra that’s been imparted upon us from the league. This is business. I think that you can take it personally if you in, perhaps, naturally, in a negotiation, you don’t like what’s being said, but you and I have been there,” said Ogwumike. “Yeah, it feels personal at times, but it’s business at the end of the day.”

The WNBPA president wasn’t the only one who had to state this belief publicly. A few days ago, New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart participated in a ‘Tech Futures’ seminar. When asked about her thoughts on the ongoing drama in the WNBA world, Stewart gave her flowers to Napheesa Collier while adding, “I think that our messaging right now is…. It’s not personal. It is business. Show us. Show us your money, and we will show you yours”.

The ‘personal’ factor gained more traction after Collier revealed that when she once used the names of stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers to highlight how star players drive in massive revenue for the league, Cathy Engelbert’s response was “[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.”

Additionally, it didn’t help that, during the Semi-Finals series between the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury, Collier’s head coach was ejected from one game and suspended from the next after she aggressively contested, demanding a foul. When Collier brought the officiating issue up during a meeting, the WNBA commissioner allegedly said, “Well, only the losers complain about the refs.”

If Cathy Engelbert really did say those words, no one would fail to believe that WNBA players have come to the notion that they can always earn more off the court. There is a good possibility of that. After all, this belief isn’t anything new, and Cathy Engelbert has made use of the exact words before.

Cathy Engelbert discussed Caitlin Clark’s high earnings outside of WNBA to justify low WNBA salaries

Back in February 2024, Cathy Engelbert was selected for the annual ‘CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business’ list. In light of this, she was interviewed by CNBC back in April. During the same time, the WNBA commissioner was asked about the pay gap between female and male basketball players, and even the host used Caitlin Clark as an example. In response, Engelbert said, “Caitlin has the ability to make $500,000, half a million just in WNBA wages this year.” But her stress on ‘something else’ was an indication.

Cathy then added, “She’ll make a little bit more than that, but she also has millions and millions of dollars coming in from endorsements. She’s actually… because she declared to become pro, her endorsements are higher in dollar value. She has a global platform now, not just a US platform. So, she’s going to do just fine, as will the top players in the league.” Well, not everyone is Caitlin Clark. They don’t have the same popularity as her to go out and seek endorsement deals.

While 30 NBA players reportedly have signature shoe deals, only 13 WNBA players have the same. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for the WNBA commissioner to have allegedly used Clark’s endorsements to deny a pay raise for all players, both in the CNBC interview and in the conversation with Napheesa Collier. Furthermore, even someone like Clark isn’t satisfied with her pay.

Why should she be, when she currently plays under a 4-year, $338,056 contract, despite being the 1st overall pick in the 2024 draft? Even the 58th pick at the 2024 NBA Draft, Ariel Hukporti, signed a 2-year, $5.745 million contract. The sooner the players and the WNBA officials reach an agreement, the less worry there would be of a lockout. The same won’t happen anytime soon if the ‘Personal or Business’ debate continues.