Caitlin Clark gave support to fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier, who had referenced Clark when admonishing the league and commissioner Cathy Engelbert in fiery remarks earlier this week.

“I think Napheesa is right,” Clark said after Indiana’s practice on Tuesday, when asked about the controversy. “There are valid points in what she said. Players deserve to feel heard, and we need leadership that prioritizes us—not just marketing campaigns. It’s about action, not slogans.” Her comments, calm but pointed, sent fans buzzing across social media, with hashtags like #PlayersFirst and #WNBARebellion trending within hours.

The situation escalated further when Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham, one of the league’s most outspoken personalities, announced she too was “done staying quiet.” Cunningham, never shy to stir conversation, unleashed a blistering interview where she accused the league of “running players into the ground” while ignoring systemic issues like travel conditions, injury management, and pay disparity. “They expect us to play like superstars but treat us like we’re disposable,” she said. “Napheesa said what we’ve all been thinking. Enough is enough.”

With three major names now openly questioning commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s leadership, the league finds itself in unprecedented chaos. What once may have been dismissed as individual frustration has now snowballed into a collective call for accountability, exposing long-simmering tensions that many players have quietly harbored for years.

On Tuesday, Collier put the WNBA – and Engelbert – on blast, saying that “right now, we have the worst leadership in the world.”

“I have great respect for Phee, and I think she made a lot of very valid points,” Clark said Thursday at Indiana Fever exit interviews. “I think what people need to understand: We need great leadership in this time across all levels.

“This is straight up the most important moment in this league’s history. This league has been around for 25-plus years, and this is a moment we have to capitalize on.”

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Collier’s emphatic statement comes ahead of the WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces – Game 1 is Friday – and as the final days of the current collective bargaining agreement tick away. The CBA expires at the end of the month, and there is potential for a lockout.

Collier, during Minnesota Lynx exit interviews Tuesday, said she asked Engelbert back in February “how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin (Clark), Angel (Reese) and Paige (Bueckers), who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years.”

Collier said Engelbert’s reply was: “Caitlin should be grateful she made $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”

Napheesa Collier.
David Berding/Getty Images

Engelbert responded Tuesday with a released statement: “I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA. 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.”

Behind the scenes, reports suggest that multiple locker rooms are buzzing with conversations about whether to join the chorus. Sources close to the situation say other stars are “seriously considering” speaking out in solidarity, with speculation swirling around whether veterans like Breanna Stewart or A’ja Wilson might add their voices. If they do, this could escalate into an outright mutiny, forcing the league office to directly address the backlash rather than brush it aside.

For commissioner Cathy Engelbert, the pressure is mounting by the hour. She has yet to make a formal statement addressing the accusations, but league insiders say emergency meetings with ownership groups have already been scheduled. The concern isn’t just about the public relations firestorm—it’s about keeping the league unified at a moment when its global profile has never been higher.

The WNBA is in the midst of historic growth, with record-breaking TV deals, rising attendance, and a surge of young stars pulling in new audiences. Yet the rebellion threatens to fracture that momentum if leadership cannot strike a balance between business expansion and player satisfaction. Fans may be filling arenas for Clark, Boston, Reese, and others, but players insist that behind the glitz, the reality is still deeply flawed.

Clark – who missed the rest of the season after suffering a groin injury July 15 – was asked whether she had previously heard that story before Collier told it publicly and whether Engelbert had spoken to her since Collier’s remarks. Clark shook her head and said no to both questions.

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“Everybody that’s in a place of power has a responsibility, and even myself,” Clark said. “We have a responsibility to make sure that this game is in a great place going forward with the CBA, and caring for our players and building this league to make sure it’s in a great spot for many years to come.”

Regarding her rehab, Clark told reporters she currently feels like she’s “in a really good spot” and aims to be able to play in a five-on-five setting by the end of October.

“I’ve been working really hard to get back to full health, and I feel like over these last couple of weeks is when I’ve probably started feeling my best,” Clark said.

Cunningham: ‘Everyone’s just trying to kill each other’

Collier’s message resonated with several players around the league, including Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, whose season was cut short because of an MCL injury.

The WNBA has been rocked to its core, and what began as a fiery outburst from Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has now spiraled into what many fans are calling a full-blown player revolt. Collier’s scathing rant against league leadership last week—where she accused the WNBA of “failing its players” and “caring more about PR than progress”—sent shockwaves through the basketball world. Now, the storm has only grown stronger as Caitlin Clark, the most hyped rookie in decades, has publicly backed Collier’s stance, calling her concerns “valid points.”

For fans, it was stunning enough to see a second-year icon like Collier blast the league in such blunt terms. But Clark’s decision to align herself with the movement has turned a single star’s rant into the beginnings of what some insiders are describing as the “largest fracture between the league and its players in recent memory.” Clark’s voice carries massive weight, not just as a rookie phenom whose debut shattered attendance and viewership records, but as a player who has become the face of the WNBA’s future.

Insiders report that this rebellion is about far more than just Collier’s comments—it’s about years of unresolved frustrations. From the lingering travel controversies where players are still forced onto commercial flights, to disputes about scheduling, marketing focus, and revenue transparency, athletes have often hinted that the league’s leadership is “out of touch.” But rarely, if ever, have stars been so direct in uniting against it.

Fan reaction has been explosive. Many are siding with the players, arguing that if Clark—who has brought unprecedented exposure and revenue to the WNBA—is already questioning leadership, it proves how deep the issues run. “If Caitlin Clark is calling it out this early, you know it’s bad,” one fan tweeted. Others have pointed out that the league’s growth could stall if stars continue to feel alienated. “This is the WORST possible time for leadership drama,” wrote another. “The WNBA is finally on the global stage, and this is how they handle it?”

Still, not everyone is on board with the rebellion. Some fans and analysts argue that Collier, Clark, and Cunningham risk destabilizing a league that is finally building momentum. Former players have weighed in as well, with some warning that public division could scare off sponsors. But others insist that accountability is long overdue. “This league has survived on the backs of players fighting for change,” a former WNBA veteran posted. “What Collier said? It needed to be said ten years ago.”

As the chaos unfolds, one thing is clear: Collier’s rant has ignited something larger than herself. It has tapped into a collective frustration that is no longer willing to be whispered about behind closed doors. With Clark and Cunningham now amplifying the cause, this has become more than a player vs. league spat—it’s shaping up to be a defining moment in the WNBA’s evolution.

The question now isn’t whether the league will respond, but how. Will leadership double down and hope the storm passes, or will they take tangible steps to address what players are demanding? Because if the movement grows and more stars join in, the WNBA could face a crisis unlike anything in its history—one where the very athletes who make the league possible demand nothing less than a revolution.

“I’m just tired of our league,” Cunningham said Thursday. “They need to step up and be better. Our leadership from top to bottom needs to be held accountable.

“I think that there a lot of people in the position of power in the WNBA. They might be really great business people, but they don’t know sh*t about basketball, and that’s got to change.”

Cunningham referenced officiating and games being physical.

“It’s like a battlefield out there,” Cunningham said. “But we (the players) are agreeing on the court because of how awful the officials are. That’s saying something.

“Like, listen to us. We’re not going to come for your heads, but I think there is room for improvement, to change the criteria when the whole league is asking for it. But leadership isn’t doing anything about it. Why? Why?

“I think there’s just frustration. The game’s not fun to watch because everyone’s just trying to kill each other, because that’s how you’re going to survive. Otherwise, you’re going to get injured.”