NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at an event on Monday that he recognizes that the relationship between WNBA players and league commissioner Cathy Engelbert needs to be addressed but he’s confident a new collective bargaining agreement will be reached.
The issue reached a critical point last week when Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier said that the WNBA has the “worst leadership in the world.” Several WNBA players have supported Collier, including Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. The criticism came amid tense collective bargaining talks between the players union and league and a looming Oct. 31 deadline for the current CBA. Engelbert is the head of the WNBA, but she reports to Silver, who said on Monday that he believes the relationship with the players can be mended.
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“There’s no question that the WNBA is going through growing pains, and it’s unfortunate that it’s coming just as their most important games and (the WNBA Finals) are on right now,” Silver told reporters at a NBC Sports event. “We’ve had two fantastic (finals) games so far, and we want to celebrate the game at the moment, and then we’ve got to sit down with the players and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.”
He added: “The WNBA is experiencing some growth pains. At the same time, Cathy Engelbert has presided over six years of some of the strongest growth we’ve not only seen in the WNBA but any sports league in history. But it’s become too personal and we’re going to have to work through those issues.”
Engelbert spoke to reporters on Friday before the WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury and called Silver “a great supporter of mine.” Silver said that he would make himself available to help in CBA talks if he were needed and cited his relationships across the league, though he noted he is not planning to at the moment.
Silver hired Engelbert six years ago and gave her the title of commissioner — the WNBA’s first. She said Silver has not been in bargaining meetings, but she provides him with “updates periodically.” She said: “He’s been very supportive of how we’re thinking about the (league offer of) substantial increase in player salaries and benefits.”
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Engelbert said she and Collier planned to meet this week. Collier has since canceled.
At her news conference, Engelbert denied an account of a conversation she had with Collier in the winter in which Collier claimed Engelbert credited the WNBA platform for Clark’s lucrative marketing deals. Engelbert said she will work to repair trust with players. While Collier’s statement drew national attention, it followed months of steady criticism of the league from other players.
“If the players don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then I have to do better,” she said.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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