ESPN Analyst Cooks WNBA Commissioner for Avoiding 'Tough Conversations' with Players
When addressing the media before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on October 3, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked at point-blank whether she indeed said what Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier claimed she had said that, 'Caitlin [Clark] should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything,' during Collier's September 30 exit interview.
"Obviously, I did not make those comments," Engelbert said about the Clark comments, per an X post from @ohnohedidnt24.
"Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She has been a great representative of the game; she has brought tens of millions of new fans. Proud of what she's putting on the court. Unfortunately, the injuries held her back from a full season this year," she added.
Cathy Engelbert on her Caitlin Clark comments:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 3, 2025
"I did not make those comments" pic.twitter.com/6z8I9JiSAT
That wasn't the only claim Collier said Engelbert made when they spoke earlier this year. She also said Engelbert told her, 'Players should be on their knees, thanking their lucky stars, for the media right deal that I got them.'
Engelbert was also asked about this directly and addressed it by saying, "There's a lot of inaccuracy out there... and so I think what's most helpful is to focus on, I have been in touch with Napheesa... So I think obviously, a lot of reporting, a lot of inaccuracy about what I said or what I didn't say."
She then went on to note that she's disheartened, that she has a family and kids who are "devastated" by these comments, per an X post from ESPN.
Chiney Ogwumike Checks Cathy Engelbert Over Comments
These responses didn't seem to sit well with ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, which she conveyed during a WNBA Countdown broadcast on Friday.
"[Engelbert] said '[I've] never shied away from tough situations.' But unfortunately, the reality is she’s shied away from tough conversations, which is a negotiation," Chiney Ogwumike (whose sister, Nneka, is the president of the WNBA Players' Association) said, per an X post from espnW.
"In order to have a negotiation, you have to have conversations. And I think it's apparent, abundantly clear, that there has been a great divide between the players and our commissioner, or the league office, in order to have productive conversations. And now, Napheesa's statement... is accountability," she added.
"She said '[I've] never shied away from tough situations.' But unfortunately, the reality is, she’s shied away from tough conversations.”
— espnW (@espnW) October 4, 2025
—@chiney on Cathy Engelbert's leadership and response to Napheesa Collier's comments pic.twitter.com/iJbxWoJ1Jv
Ogwumike went on to note that, "[The WNBA players are] playing their role to get to a point where they avoid a lockout, they keep this product on the floor. But in order to do that, you have to have conversations. And now it feels like there has been wasted time. And that's on Cathy, unfortunately."
Ogwumike clearly didn't pull any punches with this sentiment.
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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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