In the last full week of the 2024 WNBA regular season, the Commissioner’s comments—or lack of comments—overshadowed the record-breaking efforts of several players. Catch up on all of it here:
Is Engelbert’s apology letter enough?
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has continued to try to clean up the fall out from her Monday interview on CNBC’s “Power Lunch,” when, asked about the racist and sexist language deployed in online conversations that pit rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese against each other, she emphasized the business opportunities opened up by the interest in the rising stars’ rivalry.
WNBA players took immediate exception to the Engelbert’s response, through oblique or more explicit social media posts. The WNBPA and Executive Director Terri Jackson quickly responded with a statement, indicating that the Commissioner should have called out the racist, sexist and homophobic attacks players are subjected to on social media.
The WNBPA has embodied the “more than an athlete” mantra, as WNBA players have embraced their full, intersecting identities and used their platforms to advocate for issues relevant to them and their communities. Engelbert, instead, flattened athletes into assets, where their identities are promoted in service of the growth of the league, rather than protected from harmful rhetoric.
Tuesday night, Engelbert posted a short apology on X. On Friday, she sent a letter to all players, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. She additionally spoke to some players, according to ESPN. Engelbert wrote in the letter:
I was asked a question about WNBA rivalries and the dark side of social media and race, and simply put, my answer missed the mark and I’m sorry. I regret that I didn’t express, in a clear and definitive way, condemnation of the hateful speech that is all too often directed at WNBA players on social media.
She continued:
I should have stated directly and unequivocally that hate speech is harmful. This is a teachable moment and one I embrace with humility. There is absolutely no room for racism, misogyny, homophobia and other forms of hate in the WNBA or anywhere….I know many of you have been dealing with it for a long time. I want us as a league to do our part to change the too often toxic and abusive nature of social media discourse.
On Saturday, The Next’s Jackie Powell asked Breanna Stewart, a WNBPA Vice President, about Engelbert’s letter. While indicating she also had spoken to the Commissioner, Stewart said:
And I feel like between that and the letter, the thing that I appreciate the most is accountability, you know. Understanding what you did or didn’t say and how wrong that is because you didn’t kind of check people at the door. And so that here in this league, there is a no tolerance policy for all things, but especially racism. And you know that she needs to be better in answering her questions and making sure that you know you’re always ready for what’s being asked, because as players, we’re in the same boat and situation, you know we’re always ready for what’s going to be asked, and making sure that we’re representing the W, ourselves and our families as best we can.
I spoke to Breanna Stewart today and got her reaction to the letter Cathy Engelbert sent to all players following her comments on CNBC.
Engelbert also called Stewart on Wednesday, the day after Stewart addressed Engelbert’s comments in a postgame presser on Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/c6ElHhEEfH
— Jackie Powell (she/her) (@ClassicJpow) September 14, 2024
It’s hard to see what the league and players could do to curb the racist, sexist and homophobic abuse levied at WNBA players in online spaces. X, in particular, has become a sewer that overflows with vile provocations. Yet, with negotiations for a new CBA on the horizon, this situation should create an opportunity for WNBA players to demand that the league does everything within its power to protect them as players and persons, in both their on-court and off-court lives.
WNBA, Aces seek dismissal of Hamby lawsuit
On Thursday, the WNBA and Las Vegas Aces filed separate motions to dismiss the federal lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearica Hamby approximately one month ago.
While Hamby alleged she experienced discrimination and retaliation from the Aces organization after the disclosure of her pregnancy, which eventually resulted in a trade to the Sparks, the WNBA is arguing she does not have standing to sue the league, as the league is not her employer. The WNBA also attests that it sufficiently investigated her allegations and did not terminate her player marketing agreement as a form of retaliation.
The Aces contend in their motion that Hamby did not offer adequate evidence of discrimination or retaliation. Their filing asserts:
Hamby’s Complaint alleges the Aces traded the rights to her contract because she was pregnant and retaliated against her after she created a social media post about the purported pregnancy discrimination…. Hamby’s false allegations against the Aces fall short of stating a plausible claim for relief.
A’One is No. 1
For the second-straight season, the WNBA’s single-season scoring record has been broken. But this time, A’ja Wilson did it with authority.
Wilson’s single-season scoring mark, which she set on Wednesday, is not the product of a 40-game season; last season, the league’s first 40-game season, she, Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd all surpassed Diana Taurasi’s long-standing single-season scoring mark of 860 total points, which she achieved in 2006 in 34 games, scoring a league-record 25.3 points per game. Loyd topped the list with 939 points scored in 2023, albeit by averaging 24.7 points across 37 games.
Having played 36 games in 2024, Wilson already is at 971 points, with a per game average of 27.0 points. In short, she has left no room for quibbling or qualifications. Wilson’s 2024 will be the most prolific scoring season in WNBA history, as she will own both the single-season points scored and points per game records. In all likelihood (and possibly as soon as Sunday afternoon), she’ll also become the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a single season.
Arike is (already) an all-timer
But, Wilson better watch out for Arike Ogunbowale. She’s certainly capable of threatening Wilson’s soon-to-be-established single-season scoring mark.
In just her sixth WNBA season, Ogunbowale already has become the leading scorer in Dallas Wings’ franchise history. She’s now at 3987 points, and counting. She surpassed Deanna Nolan, who scored 3971 points across nine seasons with the Detroit Shock, the grandmother franchise of today’s Wings.
CC passes the test
Already in possession of numerous rookie records, Caitlin Clark now has the most assists in a single season in WNBA history. On Friday night, she passed Alyssa Thomas’ record of 316 assists, which she set last season. Clark is now at 321 assists, and counting.
Unlike Wilson’s achievement, Clark’s record is the beneficiary of a 40-game season. She’s averaging 8.4 assists across 38 games. Playing 22 games in the shortened 2020 season, Courtney Vandersloot, then with the Chicago Sky, averaged nearly 10 assists per game, coming in at 9.95 per contest. In 2025 and beyond, that’s a record for Clark to shoot (or pass) for.
Everybody watches the WNBA
ESPN has wrapped up its regular-season WNBA coverage and, unsurprisingly, it was a record-breaker. The 2024 season is the most-watched season on ESPN, with an average of 1.2 million viewers per game.
If people CAN watch women’s basketball, people WILL watch women’s basketball. Let’s hope more expansive coverage leads to an even greater increase in viewership in 2025.
