Basketball-Lynx star Collier rips into WNBA leadership

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -Minnesota Lynx’s five-times All-Star Napheesa Collier ripped into the WNBA’s leadership and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a post-season media conference on Tuesday, accusing the league of a “tone-deaf, dismissive” approach to players.

The comments came after a controversial no-call in the final minute of the Lynx’s Game 3 semi-final game against the Mercury on Friday, when Collier suffered an ankle injury as Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas stole the ball.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve launched into a tirade against game officials after the incident and slammed them in a post-game press conference. The WNBA slapped her with a one-game suspension and a league record $15,000 fine.

“(Officiating) has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates,” Collier told reporters. “They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed – that is negligence.”

Engelbert responded in a statement saying she had “the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA”.

“Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league,” she added.

The remarks come amid increasingly acrimonious Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the league and players, with the current CBA set to expire on October 31.

The two sides have been at odds over player pay, the union said in July, with young stars like Caitlin Clark driving new interest in the league and a new media rights deal kicking in next season.

“(Engelbert) told me ‘Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them’,” said Collier. “That’s the mentality driving our league from the top.”

Engelbert said she was “disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership.”

Collier is a vice president with the WNBA players’ union and this year launched the off-season 3×3 basketball league Unrivaled, which lured some top talent with substantial paychecks for players.

“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world,” said Collier, who accused the league of using fines to suppress players’ and coaches’ criticisms.

The WNBA Finals, featuring the Mercury and the winners of a series between the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever, begin on Friday.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)