Clark: Collier made 'valid points' about Engelbert

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Fever prima Caitlin Clark said Napheesa Collier "made a batch of precise valid points" this week erstwhile the Minnesota Lynx prima ripped WNBA leadership.

Clark added that she has "great respect for Phee" and "Phee said it all."

"I deliberation what radical request to understand, we request large enactment astatine this clip crossed each levels," Clark, who missed astir of the play with injuries, said Thursday successful her archetypal media availability since mid-July. "This is straight-up the astir important infinitesimal successful this league's history. This league's been astir for 25-plus years and this is simply a infinitesimal we person to capitalize on."

Collier claimed connected Tuesday that WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told her Clark "should beryllium grateful she makes $16 cardinal disconnected the court, due to the fact that without the level that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't marque anything." Clark said she had not antecedently heard that communicative and that she has not heard from Engelbert since Collier's remarks.

Clark didn't straight respond to Engelbert's alleged comment, but pointed retired that NIL has allowed assemblage players to turn their brands and gain wealth earlier they get to the league, specified arsenic she did astatine Iowa.

Clark was besides asked what she would see large leadership, successful the discourse of players' caller comments saying they're disappointed with what they've seen from the league level.

"It is each astir relationships, and that's the truth," Clark said. "I cognize that's truly hard to accidental successful nonrecreational sports, but whether it's a narration with your beforehand office, whether it's narration with commissioner of the league, whether it's narration with your teammates... Why would my teammates privation to perceive to maine if I didn't person a narration with them? I deliberation it's the astir elemental thing, and you person to beryllium precise intentional astir seeking those retired and knowing your teammates.

"I'd accidental the astir important portion of leadership, whether that's the WNBA, whether that's firm America, I deliberation it comes down to relationships and truly caring astir the radical you situation yourself with."

Clark's teammate, Sophie Cunningham, went a measurement further successful expressing her frustration.

"Not truly a instrumentality of our enactment successful the W," she said. "I conscionable deliberation they're failing america arsenic a league, decidedly failing america arsenic players. And everything that Napheesa said, we each consciousness that way, and we're each going to backmost her. ... I deliberation it's beauteous shameful that she ever makes it astir her, Cathy, erstwhile it should person thing to bash with her."

Cunningham added that she's had NBA players scope retired "in awe of however unspeakable it is... and feeling atrocious for america due to the fact that of however we're getting treated."

"I'm conscionable bushed of our league," she continued. "They request to measurement up and beryllium better. Our enactment from apical to bottommost needs to beryllium held accountable. I deliberation that determination are a batch of radical successful the presumption of powers successful the WNBA who, they mightiness beryllium truly large concern people, but they don't cognize s--t astir basketball, and that's got to change."

Cunningham called retired the league's officiating, saying referees let things to go similar a "battlefield retired there." She said the league is asking for "improvement to alteration the criteria [on what calls should beryllium made]" but claims small has been done astir it.

The Fever defender besides described league enactment successful the discourse of CBA negotiations arsenic "very, precise poor." The WNBPA and WNBA are successful the midst of talks with the existent CBA acceptable to expire astatine the extremity of October, and players person progressively expressed exasperation successful however things person stalled.

Cunningham said the players person a telephone connected Thursday to get an update.

"There's a imaginable lockout, due to the fact that I committedness you that w...