While the 2025 WNBA Finals have brought a good deal of excitement over the past week, it has largely been overshadowed by one of the biggest storylines the women’s basketball community has experienced (and is still experiencing) in quite some time.

This storyline regarding the ongoing exasperation that the league’s players have felt toward the league office (WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, more specifically) regarding several things, most notably the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations and the lack of accountability concerning mediocre officiating from referees in the 2025 season.

Napheesa Collier’s Scathing Cathy Engelbert Claim

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier thrust this frustration into the mainstream spotlight on September 30, when she made several strong claims about things Engelbert supposedly said to her when the two spoke earlier this year.

“I also asked [Engelbert] 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. Her response was, ‘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,'” Collier said.

“And in that same conversation, [Engelbert] told me, ‘Players should be on their knees, thanking their lucky stars, for the media right deal that I got them.’ That’s the mentality driving our league from the top.”

Kelsey Plum Sends Clear Message Ongoing Cathy Engelbert “Frustration”

While many WNBA players have spoken out about Collier’s comments and sided with their peer over her criticism of Engelbert, one player who fans hadn’t heard from was Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum. But Plum (who is the First Vice President of the WNBA Players’ Association (WNBPA)) shared several quotes about this, which were relayed in an October 9 article from ESPN’s Katie Barnes.

“It’s not just what she says but how she says it,” Plum said of Engelbert.

Plum later added, “We can all win this, and that frustration has been boiling. This isn’t [Cathy] or [the Players Association], it’s both of us winning and upping our levels. The conversation has been combative and that’s upping the frustration.”

It’s not surprising to hear Plum take Collier’s side, as every single other player in the league has done publicly to this point.

Plum, like Collier, has surely been in the negotiation room for these CBA conversations, and can therefore understand first-hand how the league office is potentially trying to get an edge over the players, which is only going to make matters even more “combative”.