By Amber Harding

Copyright outkick

Napheesa Collier dropped a nuclear bomb on the WNBA during her exit interview Tuesday. Her target was clear: Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league’s front office. In a fiery statement, the Minnesota Lynx star and players association vice president blasted what she called a dangerous and dismissive culture at the top of the WNBA, accusing the league of “negligence,” ignoring player injuries, brushing off officiating concerns and failing to treat players with even basic respect. “Since I’ve been [in] the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates,” Collier said. “Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self sabotage.” Collier went on to call out Engelbert directly for a tone-deaf and combative approach to player concerns, especially during CBA negotiations and a season riddled with injuries and officiating controversies. She says she sat down with Engelbert earlier this year and brought up two major issues: the poor quality of officiating and the low salaries for rookies like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, who are generating enormous revenue for the league. Engelbert’s alleged response? “Only the losers complain about the refs.” As for Caitlin Clark’s salary, Collier says Engelbert told her, “Caitlin should be grateful. She makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.” A wild statement, considering Clark was already raking in millions and secured a Nike deal while she was still in college — before the WNBA. But it gets worse. “In that same conversation, she told me, players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them,” Collier said. “That’s [the] mentality driving our league from the top.” Engelbert disputed Collier’s version of events in a statement Tuesday. “I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA,” the statement read. “Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league. My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game. “I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.” Napheesa Collier: WNBA Has ‘The Worst Leadership In The World’ In her most scathing line, Collier concluded: “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.” She said she’s remained quiet long enough — tried to handle these concerns privately — but is no longer willing to let the league spin its way around player demands. “The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them,” she said. “I have the privilege of watching my husband run a league where he has to balance 100 different things at once. I won’t pretend the job is easy … but do you know who I haven’t heard from? Cathy. Not one call. Not one text.” Collier is referring to Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league she co-founded with her husband, Alex Bazzell, and the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart. The league completed its inaugural season earlier this year and was widely considered a success — generating $27 million in revenue and offering average salaries of $222,000 for an eight-week season. That’s more than the WNBA’s max salary of $214,466 for a full five-month schedule. Several WNBA players, including many of the league’s biggest stars, chose to play in Unrivaled instead of going overseas during the offseason. RELATED: Unrivaled League Now Worth $340 Million, Putting Even More Pressure On The WNBA Collier says the only outreach has come from Engelbert’s second-in-command, who allegedly told her “she doesn’t believe physical play is contributing to injuries.” “That is infuriating,” Collier said, “and it’s the perfect example of the tone-deaf, dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take.” We’ve Reached A Boiling Point Between WNBA & Its Players This season has been a powder keg for the WNBA, and Collier’s statement may have just lit the match. The league has been plagued by controversies all year. During the All-Star Game, players wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts, and fans booed the commissioner. All season long, fans, players and coaches across the league have been up in arms about poor officiating. Those concerns have only grown in the playoffs. READ: WNBA Officiating Is Embarrassing And It’s Hijacking The Playoffs Just don’t say it out loud. Because Engelbert’s been handing out fines like Halloween candy. Just recently: The WNBA is also locked in contentious CBA negotiations with its players’ union. The current agreement expires Oct. 31, and, as OutKick previously reported, sources on both sides believe a deal before the deadline is nearly impossible at this point. READ: WNBA Players Are Asking For More Money — Here’s Why It’s Not As Crazy As You Think In her statement, Collier accused the league of hiding behind the word “sustainability” to justify low pay and poor working conditions — all while continuing to ignore the issues that are “driving away the integrity of our sport.” “Our leadership’s answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone’s voices by handing out fines,” Collier said. “I’m not concerned about a fine. I’m concerned about the future of our sport.” That future is on shaky ground — not because of the players or the product, but because of the disconnect between those on the court and the person in charge. Cathy Engelbert has officially lost the locker room.