Overview

• ESPN and the AP reported that Napheesa Collier called off next week’s planned meeting with Cathy Engelbert after the commissioner publicly disputed Collier’s account of their private conversation.
• Engelbert denied saying Caitlin Clark should be grateful for off-court earnings tied to the WNBA and called reports of their exchange inaccurate, noting she and Collier had previously exchanged texts.
• Player support for Collier has been widespread, with WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike and Fever players Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham publicly backing her, while Clark said Collier made valid points.
• A previously circulated CNBC interview of Engelbert discussing Clark’s earnings resurfaced, fueling questions about the commissioner’s denial even as she praised Clark as transformational.
• The standoff is intensifying scrutiny of league leadership during stalled CBA talks, with sources describing the Collier–Engelbert relationship as severely damaged heading into the Oct. 31 deadline.