Napheesa Collier is not opposed to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever having 41 nationally televised games in the 2025 WNBA season, but she believes the defending champion New York Liberty deserves more attention. On Tuesday, the 4-time WNBA All-Star joined ESPN’s First Take to discuss various topics, including labor negotiations, Unrivaled’s debut season, and JuJu Watkins’ season-ending torn ACL. When asked about the news regarding the Fever’s 41 televised games — nine more than the Liberty’s 32 — Collier expressed her belief that the reigning champions should receive a greater spotlight.
“Obviously people want to watch Caitlin play, and so you have to put the people on TV that people want to see,” Collier stated. “But at the same time, there are stars all over the league. You want good basketball as well. Obviously, Indiana, especially with their free agents, is going to be a great team. But not having the defending champs on TV more is kind of crazy. It doesn’t have to mean taking games away from Indiana; rather, we can elevate the visibility of other teams.”
Stephen A. Smith appeared to disagree, citing that the NBA has thrived by marketing individual stars instead of teams. Collier, however, maintained that she supports the attention Clark is receiving while advocating for a balance that allows for the promotion of both individuals and teams.
“I don’t see it as an issue. Caitlin is a star, and people want to see her. We are trying to grow the league, and it makes sense to feature players that attract viewers,” the Minnesota Lynx star explained. “Raising the profile of other teams doesn’t have to come at the expense of Caitlin or the Indiana Fever. They should indeed have those primetime games, but other teams should also see an increase in their airtime.”
While Collier’s perspective is ideal, the reality remains that there are a limited number of nationally televised games. If the Liberty are to receive more coverage, those games would need to come from elsewhere, particularly since Clark’s Fever is slated to have a substantial fraction of that exposure. Collier’s response, however, strikes a perfect balance, preventing it from becoming fodder for Caitlin Clark’s most ardent supporters, who may view any critique as unacceptable, or WNBA fans aiming to see Clark as another talented young athlete.
Fortunately for the WNBA, its increasing prominence is likely to result in more opportunities in the near future. With ESPN set to lose its Sunday Night Baseball package in 2026, it’s easy to envision the network filling that gap with a WNBA focus, providing the league with more avenues to present both its star names, including Clark, and others across the league.
