Cathy Engelbert Says She Isn’t Going Anywhere, Addresses WNBA Players’ Criticisms

Before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals—and after a week of explosive dialogue about the state of the league and its leadership— commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that she intended to stay in her job amid heated criticism and reports that she may step down from the position. 

In her annual postseason news conference, Engelbert also said there had been “inaccuracies” with the characterization of her conversations with Lynx star Napheesa Collier and denied ever saying that Caitlin Clark owed her personal endorsements to the WNBA. The commissioner admitted that the league must improve the relationship with its players. She also recognized the scope of complaints around officiating, which she acknowledged must change, starting with the announcement of a new task force. 

Below is some of what she addressed. 

“I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and me personally do not care about them or listen to them,” Engelbert said. “And if the players in the W don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better, and I have to do better.”

She dismissed recent news reports that she would leave her position after the agreement of a new CBA: “That’s another inaccurate statement out there that everybody reads and takes clickbait on,” she said. “Obviously, I’ve never been a quitter … If there’s things we need to fix, we’re going to fix them. If there’s things the players have a perspective on that they don’t like what we’re doing, or I’m doing, we’ll fix them.” When asked how exactly she would repair that relationship with the players, she mentioned the importance of continued dialogue, without offering much in the way of specifics.  

Engelbert acknowledged the longtime frustration with refereeing around the league. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re misaligned currently on what our stakeholders want from officiating,” Engelbert said. “We have heard loud and clear that we have not lived up to that needed alignment, and that attention and change is needed.” She said that will start with the competition committee, which meets annually to discuss the rules of the game and how they’re applied, and with a new task force established for additional conversation beyond that.

“There are no greater stakeholders than our players,” Engelbert said about their participation in the new task force. “Their voice is integral to the alignment that is required for good officiating… We will take a hard look at what the proper line should be for good, aggressive play that we recognize has evolved into rough play, and how to calibrate the line for legal and illegal content to ensure player safety and exciting competition.”  

It marked the first time Engelbert had acknowledged the need for change in officiating so clearly. 

The WNBA’s current CBA with the players’ association is set to expire Oct. 31. Negotiations have been ongoing for months, and the players have expressed frustration with their conversations at the bargaining table, most visibly at the All-Star Game in July. After a bargaining session that was described as “disappointing,” players wore T-shirts at the game saying, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” Engelbert said the league is committed to increasing player salaries without discussing specific proposals.

“We want to significantly, and I mean significantly, increase their salary and benefits, while also supporting the long-term growth and viability of the WNBA,” Engelbert said. “We have made proposals to that end. We have been meeting regularly throughout the summer and playoffs, and we will continue to negotiate in good faith until we get a transformative deal done.”

Though she mentioned salary and benefits, Engelbert notably did not mention revenue share, which has been a priority for the players. 

When questioned about extending the current agreement until a deal can be reached, instead of going straight to a lockout, Engelbert said that it was a possibility: “I feel confident that we can get a deal done, but if not, I think we could do an extension.” The parties used an extension to get a deal finished during Engelbert’s first negotiations as commissioner in 2019.

Collier torched Engelbert earlier this week, disclosing prior conversations she had with the commissioner and saying the league had “the worst leadership in the world,” Engelbert said in a statement that she was “disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.” She was invited to clarify that on Friday.

Engelbert was first asked whether she had said, “Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the rights deal that I got them,” as Collier said that she had. The commissioner said there was “inaccuracy” there without offering specifics: “Obviously a lot of reporting, a lot of inaccuracy about what I said or what I didn’t say,” Engelbert said. “And I will tell you I highly respect the players. There’s a lot of emotion and passion going on right now because we’re in collective bargaining, we’re in the WNBA Finals. So I’ll leave it there.” She was then asked whether she had said that Clark owed her personal endorsements to the platform of the WNBA.

The commissioner denied those comments more forcefully. 

“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 tens of millions of new fans to the game … But again, I’m not going to get into every point, counterpoint. It’s not productive here. We’re here to celebrate the WNBA Finals.”

Engelbert said that she has communicated with Collier via text and will meet with her next week.

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