WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert held a press conference ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday, and her controversial Caitlin Clark comments were inevitably brought up. Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier claimed in her exit interview that Engelbert told her Clark should be “grateful to make $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”
When asked about the comment, Engelbert denied saying anything of the sort to Collier.
“Obviously, I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said. “Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought in 10s of millions of new fans to the game.
“Proud of what she’s put on the court,” Engelbert continued. “Unfortunately, the injuries held her back from the full season this year. But again, I’m not going to get into every point, counterpoint. It’s not productive here… But yeah, as I said, there’s a lot of inaccuracies reported out there and I certainly did not say that.”
Collier, a vice president of the players’ association, had claimed that Engelbert made those comments when she asked her how she planned to fix the fact that Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, who are driving massive revenue for the WNBA, are making so little in terms of salary.
Clark signed just a four-year, $338,056 deal with the Indiana Fever after being selected with the first pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft. The current CBA is ending on October 31, 2025, and the players want more money than what’s on the table.
Collier also claimed that Engelbert told her that the “players should be on their hands and knees thanking their lucky stars for the rights deal that I got them.” The commissioner was asked about that as well, and while she didn’t outright deny saying it, she did claim there were a lot of inaccuracies in all that has been reported.
“There is a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all this reporting,” Engelbert said. “… I have been in touch with Napheesa, we’ve exchanged texts, we’re talking next week. So I think obviously a lot of reporting, a lot of inaccuracy about what I said or what I didn’t say. I will tell you I highly respect the players.”
Collier has also criticized Engelbert by claiming the WNBA has the worst leadership in the world. She certainly isn’t a very popular figure at the moment.
Clark stated that Collier made a lot of valid points, and she feels this is the most important moment in the WNBA’s history. While she stopped short of ripping the commissioner, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson did not mince her words. Wilson slammed Engelbert, making it clear she was disgusted by the remarks.
The likes of Stephen A. Smith have called for Engelbert’s resignation, but she made it clear in her press conference that she won’t be quitting.
“I’ve never been a quitter,” Engelbert stated. “I’m entering my 40th year, actually, this month in business. Never been a quitter, never shied away from tough situations.”
Engelbert became the WNBA’s first commissioner back in 2019, and this is proving to be her toughest spell at the helm. One wonders if the 60-year-old sinks or swims.
