Caitlin Clark hasn’t heard from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, explains great leadership

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark did not know Napheesa Collier was going to mention her in a statement about the state of the league in wake of CBA negotiations, Clark said during Fever exit interviews Thursday. 

Collier, a vice president for the players’ association and co-founder of 3×3 league Unrivaled, prepared a four-minute statement that she read during Minnesota Lynx exit interviews Tuesday. During that statement, Collier specifically mentioned officiating, the state of negotiations and her multiple conversations with WNBA Cathy Engelbert during her statement.

That included an alleged conversation about the league’s youngest stars, including Clark, Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese.

“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” Collier said. “Her response was ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t be making anything.’”

Collier’s comments came at a tense time for the WNBA: The collective bargaining agreement expires on Oct. 31, and multiple players have said that the two sides are nowhere close to an agreement on multiple aspects.

The main storyline has been around player revenue sharing, which is minimal in the WNBA, and salaries: players can make as much as around $250,000 on a supermax and as low as $66,000 on a minimum one-year deal. 

“I have a lot of great respect for Phee, and I think she made a lot of very valid points,” Clark said. “And, you know, I think what people need to understand is 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’s been around for 25-plus years, and this is a moment we have to capitalize on. So that’s honestly what I would say. I think Phee said it all with what she said.”

Clark was asked what great leadership looks like for the league.

“I’d say the most important part of leadership whether the WNBA, whether corporate America, comes down to relationships and really caring about the people you surround yourself with,” she said.

Clark said Engelbert has not reached out to her since Collier made that statement. Engelbert did, however, issue a statement about Collier’s comments.

“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,” Engelbert said in the statement. “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.”

Clark made $76,535 her rookie season. She is making $78,066 in base salary for 2025, $85,873 on her third year of the deal in 2026 and her club option for 2027 is $97,582, per Spotrac. But that doesn’t include the millions she gets in endorsements from brands like Nike, Gatorade and State Farm, to name a few. 

Clark also had many of those endorsements before she came to the WNBA. She signed with Nike in 2022  while she was still at Iowa, then re-signed with the shoe company in April 2024 before she stepped on the court as a professional.

Her first major endorsement deal in college came when she signed with Hy-Vee, an Iowa-based grocery chain, in October 2021. She still maintains that deal now, even playing in a state that doesn’t have a Hy-Vee.

“Everybody knows my first NIL deal was with Hy-Vee, the greatest grocery chain of all time, West Des Moines, Iowa, baby. Best chocolate long johns around,” Clark said. “But I think that’s the way in which people, young women, are coming into this league now … they’re beginning to build their brands in college, and then they’re bringing that to the WNBA. I think that’s just the way in which the league has changed and will continue to evolve.”

Now, the league needs to evolve with their youngest players.

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

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel and join Fever Insiders Live.