With the WNBA finals in the rearview, Napheesa Collier leads effort to change the game

NINA MOINI: The WNBA Finals are over after the Las Vegas Aces won their third championship in four years. Now, attention in the league turns to a different countdown. The players union and WNBA administrators have until the end of this month before their contract, known as a collective bargaining agreement, expires.

Negotiations have been tough so far. Some players, most notably Lynx star Napheesa Collier, have gone public with their frustrations with leadership. My next guest has been thinking about Collier's role in this moment of the WNBA. Adam Minter, a Sports Business Writer for Bloomberg Opinion, is based in Minnesota, and he joins me now. Thanks for joining the program today, Adam.

ADAM MINTER: I'm so glad to be here.

NINA MOINI: For starters, would you remind us, just bring everybody up to speed who really maybe doesn't know about this little feud, these statements that have been going on that Napheesa Collier made about WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, and then the back and forth from Engelbert. Where do we stand?

ADAM MINTER: Sure. Well, it was a couple of weeks ago during what should have been a routine exit interview with media, Collier decided to air some of her grievances and some of her personal conversations with Engelbert. And some of what she said was really quite inflammatory. The most notable comment, which has not been denied by Engelbert, is that Engelbert told her earlier this year that WNBA players should, quote unquote, "be on their hands and knees thanking their lucky stars" for a recent media deal she negotiated.

She also said, although later denied that she said-- Collier alleged she said-- that Caitlin Clark should be grateful to the WNBA for the financial opportunities the league has given her. So these were really inflammatory comments-- one, just that any league commissioner would say something like this. But, of course, as you noted at the beginning of the segment, the comments were made at the beginning, really, right before this very intense collective bargaining agreement negotiation is really going to go down to the wire. And it really gets at some of the resentments that the players have towards Cathy Engelbert, the owners that go back many decades in the WNBA, really, about how they've been paid and treated.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. It really does, to your point, seem like this is kind of a long standing series of issues. And now, it's kind of being aired out a little bit publicly. And in your piece, you compared Collier to tennis and equality champion Billie Jean King. You wrote that Collier's really changing the game. What do you think it takes to become that influential? Because it's kind of a risk for oneself as well.

ADAM MINTER: Yeah. Let's face it-- historically, women who stand up to authority in this society aren't necessarily looked at in the most positive light, and especially--

NINA MOINI: Right.

ADAM MINTER: -- really, and especially a woman of color like Napheesa Collier. She's really putting a lot at risk. At a minimum, you could say she's putting her sponsorship value at risk. But, again, it gets to the frustrations that are out there.

Collier is an extremely respected figure in the WNBA. In addition to being an extraordinary player on the court, she has started Unrivaled, which is a two-month league that occurs during the WNBA offseason. It pays a much higher average salary than the WNBA does.

And it pays players in equity. And so not only for the players that get to play in Unrivaled, it's not only a financial opportunity, but it also means that they don't have to go overseas to earn extra money. And so that is one facet of how she sort of generated the loyalty and respect of her fellow athletes, all of whom, at least so far as we've heard, are backing her in this tiff with Cathy Engelbert. And it really gives her, I think, the confidence to know that she's not hurting herself, her value, or, really, the WNBA Players Association in standing up.

NINA MOINI: She's getting a lot of support. And she's, to your point, practicing what she's preaching. She's not on the sidelines complaining. She's kind of putting into action methods that she thinks are more equitable through some of her other ventures.

And earlier, you made a comment about the alleged comment about players should be on their hands and knees, grateful for different opportunities that come with just the exposure of the WNBA. Some of these sponsorships, these deals, how do you think that should factor into the discussion about what the league owes players? Because, yes, they're getting sponsorships, but that's not money the league is paying them.

ADAM MINTER: Right. Well, the discussion over what the value of a WNBA player is worth goes back to the late-'90s and the start of the league. And, back then, quite frankly, from the point of view of the W, of the league, they weren't worth very much. I think the top salary during the first season was around $50,000.

This year, the top salary, the max salary, is around $250,000. That's a nice living. But, put it into context-- you have players like A'ja Wilson, who we just saw in the WNBA Finals, who has her own shoe with Nike. That's a multi-million dollar deal.

Caitlin Clark-- everybody knows the State Farm commercials. And that's just the start for Clark. You're talking millions and millions of dollars of endorsements.

The fact that Unrivaled is willing to grant equity to players and to pay them more than WNBA-- what that says is that the WNBA is underestimating the value of these players. And so that is, in part, what this is about. But it's also about who gets a say in how this league, which is really about the athletes and what the athletes bring to the table, what role do they get in setting the course of the league as well. And so there's two factors there.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And when you talk about culture change in any institution or in any group, it can take a really long time. And it's not often related to just one person. But the fans were booing Commissioner Engelbert when she was handing the Aces their trophy last Friday-- the arena filled with boos.

What do you think it would take to make a change there and for, perhaps, Commissioner Engelbert to be let go? Would it make a big difference, do you think? Does it send a message?

ADAM MINTER: Actually, maybe I'm in the minority on this, I don't think the issue is specifically Cathy Engelbert. She serves at the pleasure of the league. There are owners who have not spoken up.

And I think the silence of WNBA owners and everyone other than Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, speaks volumes. And I think, ultimately, I don't think Engelbert is going to be around.

But the issue is going to be how much WNBA franchise ownership, the board of governors, really wants to share with these players. And that's what it's ultimately going to come down to, because the players aren't looking for a bump in salary. The WNBA has made it clear they want to as much as triple the salaries from about $250,000 to there's been reports that max salary could be $850,000.

That's very nice. But what the players want is what NBA players get. And that is they want a share of the revenue-- a guaranteed share of the revenue. Right now, NBA players get about 50% of the revenue that the National Basketball Association generates. WNBA players get 9%. They want to see that equalize. They want the same deal.

They don't want the same money, but they want to know that they have a share, they have a seat at the table, and that this is a partnership. It's not just a employer-employee relationship.

NINA MOINI: And all this attention, again, coming as they're doing this bargaining agreement, and if they're going to make changes, that would really be the means by which to do it, it sounds like, in the near future. What's the deadline for that? And what happens if they don't reach a deal?

ADAM MINTER: Right. Well, the deadline is October 31. That's one deadline. That's when the collective bargaining agreement expires. And on November 1, if no agreement has been reached, the WNBA can lock out the players.

So that means the players can't go and use WNBA gyms, and facilities, and trainers. They're on their own. They'll still be paid, because the issue of payment doesn't come up until there's actual games being played.

What are the next deadlines? It's quite possible, and I'd say even likely, that the two sides agree to, say, a 60-day extension. There's no lockout. That happened the last time there was a collective bargaining disagreement. We'll see about that. But the longer it goes on, the more risk there is that this will disrupt how the W operates next year.

NINA MOINI: All right, Adam, thank you so much for coming by Minnesota Now and sharing your reporting with us. Really appreciate your time.

ADAM MINTER: Thank you.

NINA MOINI: That's Adam Minter who writes about the business of sports for Bloomberg Opinion. He lives in Minnesota.