Napeheesa Collier isn't remotely interested in backing down from the WNBPA's CBA fight. In an expansive interview with Glamour published Monday, October 27, Collier joined four other WNBA players — Satou Sabally, Nyara Sabally, Lexie Hull, and Jonquel Jones — for the outlet's 2025 Glamour Women of the Year issue and did not hesitate to dive right into the thorniest parts of the conversation that threatens to delay the 2026 season.
Collier insisted she can "talk about whatever I want to talk about" to the outlet, and made sure to reiterate an undeniable Caitlin Clark truth she first raised in her exit interview. Clark, who has brought millions of eyeballs and, as Collier noted, millions of dollars into the WNBA, isn't seeing nearly as much of a return on her own skills and investment as she should be — and no one in the league is.
"The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she’s getting 0% of it because we have no rev share," Collier said. "She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she’s bringing in, like, hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s insane."
Napheesa Collier first raised concerns about Clark's pay in September
That fact echoes what Collier said during her now-infamous September 30 missive, delivered during the Minnesota Lynx's exit interviews after they bowed out of WNBA playoffs. Her four-minute speech offered unprecedented insight into the mentality that is likely shared by many players in the WNBA, and also made one thing clear: Collier is uniquely poised to become a true leader of the WNBA as the athletes continue CBA negotiations and hover closer to a lockout ahead of the 2026 season — and the WNBA is lucky to have her.
Collier claimed that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told her that Clark especially should "be grateful she made $16 million off the court" because she would be unable to pull off such a financial feat without the platform the WNBA has given her. That's patently false — Clark was already amassing millions of dollars on her own during her senior year with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and very likely could have commanded any price she might want had she chosen to play in an alternate league like Unrivaled, or even traveled overseas to play basketball instead. The WNBA was the draw for Clark, and it's undeniable that she is a major part of the reason why so many fans — and so much money — are attracted to the league.
Collier has demonstrated time and time again that she's comfortable leading sticky conversations, and that she's uninterested in backing down. Now it's time for the WNBA to take notice and to, as they say, Pay Them What You Owe Them.