A'ja Wilson Drops Blunt 5-Word Message to Cathy Engelbert Amid WNBA Finals Boos
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is probably at least a little bit thankful that the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals (which ended on October 10), if only because it means that she doesn't have to be in front of cameras for a while after what has been a rough last few weeks.
Engelbert has been the subject of criticism from women's basketball fans and players for a long time. However, this criticism has reached a fever pitch ever since Lynx star Napheesa Collier's scathing criticism of her during an interview at the end of September.
Collier has received unconditional support from her peers and fans in the wake of this, which has turned Engelbert into even more of a villainous figure than she already was. Two-time reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson (who won her third WNBA Finals on Friday) said of Engelbert's alleged comments to Collier, "Had an opportunity to listen to Phee, and I just want to say, I was honestly disgusted by the comments that Cathy made," when speaking with the media last week.
A'ja Wilson Gets Honest About Cathy Engelbert WNBA Finals Boos
Engelbert had to be in the spotlight on Friday night for the Aces' championship award ceremony. And she was serenaded with a chorus of boos from fans in attendance.
CATHY ENGELBERT GETTING BOOD LMAOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/Ddr4poB2Fa
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) October 11, 2025
Fans couldn't help but notice how several Aces players (including Wilson) were reacting to how the stadium was receiving Engelbert, which was then posted on social media.
A’ja Wilson’s reacting to Cathy Engelbert getting booed is hilarious pic.twitter.com/LoKZuEQhvY
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA) October 11, 2025
Wilson and her teammate, Chelsea Gray, were among several Aces players who spoke with the media after winning the WNBA Finals on Friday night. And when asked about the boos Engelbert received, neither superstar minced any words.
“When you have great players. You need to treat them like that," Gray said, per an X post from Desert Wave Media before Wilson began playing a tambourine. "And that's top to bottom... There has been a lot of eyes on this league, and everybody’s been stepping up to the plate and putting on performances that’s legendary. We have legends that you guys get to witness every day. When we have a league full of people like that, it needs to be treated as such."
“Don’t play in our faces,” Wilson then added.
Gray then reiterated, "When you have players like that, at the forefront of change, you've got to pay them like that, you've got to value them like that. Because there's no league without the players."
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray gives her message to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) October 11, 2025
“When you have great players. You need to treat them like that,” Gray said.
“Don’t play in our faces,” A’ja Wilson said. #WNBA pic.twitter.com/TFW9CIWlc3
The players are clearly fed up with Englbert's antics, which should make the ongoing CBA negotiations this offseason very interesting.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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