LAS VEGAS — After a week embroiled in criticism by players, WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert used her annual address before Game 1 of the finals to vow to repair trust with the league’s players, create a new multi-stakeholder task force to evaluate WNBA officiating, and to reiterate that she believes she is well-positioned to take the league into the future.
Engelbert also refuted some of the blistering accusations made by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier earlier this week, specifically denying telling Collier in a private conversation last winter that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark “should be grateful” for her lucrative endorsement deals because of the WNBA’s platforms.
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“Obviously, I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said. “There’s a lot of inaccuracies reported out there, and I certainly did not say that.”
Engelbert said she and Collier have exchanged text messages and have plans to meet next week. Engelbert, who became the WNBA’s first commissioner six years ago, also said she has talked to other players this week, and she vowed to work to repair trust with players.
“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,” Engelbert said. “If they don’t feel that (appreciation), then I will do everything I can to change that. No one should ever doubt how deeply I care about this league, this game and every single player who makes the WNBA what it is.”
Engelbert did not explicitly dispute Collier’s assertion that Engelbert told her players should be “on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them” — a new 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights agreement is set to go into effect next season.
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Collier’s comments on Tuesday, including saying the WNBA has “the worst leadership in the world,” set off a firestorm of complaints about Engelbert and sparked questions about Engelbert’s job security. This all came with the backdrop of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBPA and a looming Oct. 31 deadline to make a deal. Engelbert spoke about an hour before tipoff in Las Vegas ahead of the game between the Aces and Phoenix Mercury.
Engelbert said the WNBA has offered a “significant” salary increase for players. She said that the two sides continue to meet and that she feels confident a deal will be reached, but as she has before, she acknowledged the possibility of an extension to reach a deal. The WNBA has never missed games for a work stoppage in its nearly 30-year history.
“It’s all about balancing the significant increase in salaries and benefits with the long-term viability of the league,” she said. “We’ve made proposals with significant rev-share components. They’re obviously bargaining for more. And so we’re just trying to obviously balance looking out many years.”
Engelbert’s job status has come into question in recent days, with multiple sources in both the WNBA and NBA wondering if Collier’s comments will set in motion a movement for the league to change commissioners. Engelbert said that NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who has firing power over her, remains a “great supporter” of hers. She added: “I’ve never been a quitter. I’m entering my 40th year, actually this month, in business. I’ve never been a quitter, never shied away from tough situations. … I’m not going to shy away. I’m the commissioner of this league, leader of this league. I think we’ve accomplished a lot, but we have a lot more to do.”
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The WNBA business has undoubtedly changed under Engelbert’s watch. Having taken over the commissioner role in July 2019, she helped shepherd the WNBA through the COVID-19 pandemic, orchestrated a first-ever $75 million capital raise, and led an era of expansion. Two years after the Golden State Valkyries paid $50 million as a league expansion fee, the three franchises set to enter into the league in 2028, 2029 and 2030 were announced with a corresponding $250 million expansion fee.
But amid the WNBA’s explosive growth, players, coaches and executives have also consistently spoken about inconsistent officiating as a factor that is holding back the league. Engelbert said that in an effort to continue evolving, the league would be establishing a multi-stakeholder task force — ”a state of the game committee” — featuring player voices and other stakeholders to “ensure that our officiating platform evolves in step with the growth of the league.”
“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.
“We owe it to the players, our fans, and the next generation to keep building a movement that not only showcases the best athletes in the world, but also inspires millions who dream of following in their footsteps.”
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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