WNBA commissioner: ‘I have to do better’ amid player blowback

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Cathy Engelbert accepted some responsibility for WNBA players’ disapproval of the job she’s done as commissioner while denying certain remarks that Napheesa Collier alleged she said in a pointed statement earlier this week.

Engelbert faced reporters ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury on Friday. It is a tradition among major sports commissioners to address the state of the league before its championship game or series.

But Engelbert’s press conference came days after Collier said the WNBA had “the worst leadership in the world,” accusing her of making disparaging remarks about star players and not taking officiating seriously.

Collier is a Women’s National Basketball Players Association vice president along with a star on the Minnesota Lynx, and her voice carried extra heft amid the backdrop of a collective bargaining agreement that’s set to expire Oct. 31.

Engelbert released a statement Tuesday saying she was “disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership,” but on Friday she was careful to speak highly of the players and looked to make amends.

“I have the utmost respect for Napheesa and for every single player in our league,” Engelbert said in a prepared statement before she took questions. “They are at the center of everything we do. I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league, and me personally, do not care about them or listen to them. 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.”

Speaking Tuesday at an end-of-season media availability, Collier blasted Engelbert and the league office, her speech earning plaudits from many of her peers.

Collier said she asked Engelbert how she’d fix the fact that young superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are earning so little on their rookie contracts while driving massive revenue for the league. “Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,'” Collier said.

“And in that same conversation,” she continued, Engelbert “told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that (she) got them.”

Asked Friday if she in fact said the media rights part of that statement, Engelbert talked around it.

“There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all this reporting,” Engelbert said. “And so I think what’s most helpful is to focus on, 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. And I will tell you, I highly respect the players.”

Given a second chance to address the faux pas, specifically regarding Clark’s endorsement earnings, Engelbert was more direct.

“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.”

Clark, for her part, said this week that Engelbert had yet to reach out to her directly and said that she agreed with Collier’s stance.

Saying she is not a “quitter,” Engelbert addressed the notion that players don’t feel she is fit to be their commissioner and painted it as “inaccurate” and “clickbait,” though criticism of Engelbert was seen far and wide this week.

Engelbert said she was confident “that we can repair any loss of trust” amid the ongoing CBA negotiations. She claimed the league office wants “a transformative deal” with “significant, significant” pay increases for the players and some proposals have included revenue-share components.

“I think it’s all about balancing the significant increase in salaries and benefits with the long-term viability of the league,” Engelbert said. “… You know, they’re obviously bargaining for more and so we’re just trying to obviously balance looking out many years.”

The CBA expires at the end of the month, and Engelbert said she was confident in the sides’ ability to meet that deadline, but felt it could be extended if necessary, as they did by a few months before their most recent agreement in January 2020.

Among players’ other concerns is with officiating, and several head coaches have been fined for criticizing referees this season. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was suspended for Game 4 of the semifinal round against Phoenix for harsh criticism of what she felt was a missed call on a play that injured Collier. Minnesota’s season ended in that Game 4 with a loss to Phoenix without Collier or Reeve.

Collier said when she brought up officiating to Engelbert earlier this year, her response was, “Well, only the losers complain about the refs.”

Engelbert said Friday the league is establishing a “state of the game” committee with players and other stakeholders able to voice their opinions on officiating and player safety.

“I think it’s pretty clear that we’re misaligned currently on what our stakeholders want from officiating,” she said. “We have heard loud and clear that we have not lived up to that needed alignment and that attention and change is needed to serve the WNBA to the level of excellence that is not currently being met in the various stakeholders’ eyes.

“There are no greater stakeholders than our players. Their voice is integral to the alignment that is required for good officiating, and we look forward to including their perspectives on how our staff can better serve the game moving forward.”

–Field Level Media