If there’s one thing that defines WNBA players, its their fearlessness to demand what they feel they deserve

The powerful and continuous growth of women’s sport is a movement. Among the thriving professional sports leagues is the WNBA, which presents as successful with its extraordinarily famous players, colourful personalities, expansion teams, sold-out stadiums, and high merchandise sales.

But the W (as it is known by fans) is far from perfect. The championship final of the WNBA playoffs is being overshadowed by drama off the court and a less-than-perfect league management. 

Those imperfections made themselves visible when Minnesota’s Lynx star Napheesa Collier laid into WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert during a post-game interview on Sept. 30. The Lynx had just lost an emotionally charged Game 4 to the Phoenix Mercury which eliminated them from the semifinals. Collier sustained two leg injuries in the playoffs, but it didn’t prevent her from hobbling to the press conference in a fracture boot to speak her truth to power. 

“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,” Collier said. “Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”

Collier went on to reveal negative comments made by Engelbert about Indianapolis star Caitlin Clark during conversations in February, and explained there was a “lack of accountability,” terrible officiating and a lack of basic human interest in favour of profit. Her comments blazed through a silent press room and throughout the WNBA social media and news space. 

All of this is unraveling as Collier, vice-president of the players association (WNBAPA), will go to the bargaining table to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement for the players. The deadline to reach a new agreement is Oct. 31. 

Collier will face the existing power structures which may be one of her toughest battles yet. Engelbert responded to the flurry of news saying that although she was “disheartened” by how Collier characterized the conversations, she remained committed to the players. She did not, however, deny any of what Collier said. 

A plethora of WNBA players did not shy away from publicly supporting Collier, who was the league MVP runner-up and is co-founder of Unrivaled, a 3×3 league. Unrivaled features WNBA players and gives them an opportunity to play in the off-season without having to go overseas. 

This kerfuffle begs the question of whether this situation will hinder any CBA negotiations. I asked Dr. Courtney M. Cox, associate professor in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies (IRES) at the University of Oregon and author of Double Crossover: Gender, Media, and Politics in Global Basketball, whether criticism toward Engelbert was tempered by labour negotiations.

“While labour negotiations are always tense times, this feels like a bit of a reckoning to me,” Cox said via email. “Officiating is connected to labour, to shared governance of this league and speaks to what is important for multiple unions. The frustration is not isolated but rather compounded by a sense of stagnation on several key issues.”

During the WNBA all-star game, both teams wore t-shirts with the slogan “Pay us what you owe us.” This is an effective way to raise awareness to negotiations that, according to Cox, are primarily negotiated behind closed doors.

‘”All-Star Weekend is an exception that felt like a necessary, smart pivot by players to bring fans into the fold and sway public opinion,” she said.

People familiar with the WNBA won’t be surprised at the candour of Collier’s statement. This tenacity is on brand for players in the W, who regularly defend their right to be paid more while advocating for better treatment and consideration from the league. Why can’t they be paid what they are worth but be valued as people, too?  

The players of the WNBA have created a blueprint on activism and self-preservation within the sports ecosystem. Players have been fearless in social justice and political movements. In 2023, WNBAPA president and Los Angeles Sparks power forward Nneka Ogwumike told Harper’s Bazaar that they recognize the position that they are in and the need to advocate is not optional. 

“Our league is made up of the people that require more rights in this world and our society,” Ogwumike said. “Because we understand our platform — and honestly, I think too, because of the narrative around how quickly it can disappear — I think that we take those moments to take advantage of, you know, the platforms that we do have and us being able to speak out and reach more than people would normally expect.”

This is a stark reminder to front offices across the league that the players hold immeasurable amounts of power and prowess — on the court and online. 

Front offices can not demand respect, they must earn it. This group of 156 (give or take) women are the top players in the world, and aren’t afraid to advocate for themselves. 

The Toronto Tempo are scheduled to begin play in the 2026 season and are in the process of hiring for different roles. The Tempo front office should be watching this unfold and reading the room. Cox does not feel this will affect expansion teams negatively, but the league has to sort itself out and resolve this as soon as possible. 

“With more eyes on the league, more teams in the mix, and a tighter turnaround to get a CBA tidy given the expansion schedule during the offseason, it’s really important that the league ensures a season in 2026 and the players lock in what they need from a growing WNBA,” Cox said. 

More importantly, the WNBA leadership needs to understand the human foundations of the league — something Engelbert seems to have forgotten or dismissed in her drive to grow it. 

In 2024, players came forward and criticized Engelbert for not showing more solidarity in her remarks regarding the horrific online abuse players receive. She wrote a letter of apology to the players saying she “missed the mark.”

But how many marks can the commissioner miss? These players are saying enough. Fans have begun calling for Engelbert to be fired but there already are reports that she is “likely” to exit after the CBA is finalized. 

The W is a league of predominantly Black women that has been founded on exceptional play, tremendous courage and a commitment to justice. They are unafraid, direct and ready to do what they must to ensure they feel supported. Their basketball isn’t the only thing that is unrivaled, so is their unflinching drive for respect.