Sophie Cunningham's Scathing 4-Word Message to WNBA Commissioner Says It All
When speaking with the media before the 2025 WNBA Finals tipped off on October 3, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked directly whether she indeed said what Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier asserted she did during Collier's exit interview earlier this week.
"I also asked [Engelbert during a discussion earlier this year] how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin [Clark], Angel [Reese], and Paige [Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years," Collier said.
"[Engelbert's] response was, 'Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything.' And in that same conversation, [Engelbert] told me, 'Players should be on their knees, thanking their lucky stars, for the media right deal that I got them,'" Collier added.
Napheesa Collier’s full statement today, where she challenged Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA with directness and stunning detail we rarely hear from active players. Worth listening to every word. pic.twitter.com/IRTvTc52EA
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 30, 2025
After denying that she made these comments on Friday, Engelbert went on to discuss the detrimental impact Collier's claims have had on her and her family.
"I'm just obviously disheartened. You know, I'm a human, too. I have a family. I have two kids who are devastated by these comments. And so all I'll say is it's obviously been a tough week, and I just think there's a lot of inaccuracy out there," Engelbert said.
While Engelbert's sentiment is fair enough, the fact that she spun this professional criticism into a personal matter when addressing it on Friday rubbed many women's basketball fans the wrong way, because they felt like she was pandering for sympathy when it wasn't necessarily warranted.
Sophie Cunningham's Cathy Engelbert Criticism Speaks Volumes
Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham hasn't been afraid to get critical of Engelbert in the past. In fact, Cunningham called out what she clearly believes is Engelbert's habit of making matters about her when they don't need to be during an October 2 episode of the Show Me Something podcast.
"At the end of the day, she's worried about her. In all of her [alleged] statements, it's like, 'Well, I got us here, and I should...," Cunningham said about Engelbert.
"Cathy: No one cares," Cunningham added. "Literally no one cares."
Her co-host was sitting with his head resting in his hand while Cunningham said this. This prompted her to say, "Like, how you're sitting right there, that's how we feel every time she speaks. Every time she speaks, us as players, that's how we feel."
Sophie Cunningham: "Cathy, no one cares. Literally, no one cares"
— Ashwin (@Sudharsan_ak) October 4, 2025
Wowww😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/OKoZGPuHHm
To be clear, Cunningham made these comments before Engelbert's October 3 press conference. But it's almost as if Cunningham was reacting to what her commissioner said on Friday.
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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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