Cathy Engelbert updates, highlights from WNBA Commissioner’s first press conference since Napheesa Collier remarks originally appeared on The Sporting News
The walls appear to be caving in on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
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With a player strike looming and the league’s best talents in open revolt over their treatment at the hands of the ownership class, all is not well for Engelbert. She faced the fiercest of rebuke’s earlier in the week during Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s exit interview.
Collier, one of the sport’s finest players and co-founder of competitor league Unrivaled, aired out the WNBPA’s grievances with Engelbert in a historic polemic.
Collier cited officiating mistakes — and the league office’s lack of accountability to rectify them — as one of players’ biggest qualms with the league. She also suggested that Engelbert doesn’t prioritize the health of players or the product they put out. Instead, Engelbert demanded credit for the league’s growth, Collier claimed. Caught in the crosshairs of Engelbert’s alleged hubris was Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Engelbert reportedly stated that star players like 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,” and that “players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.”
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Collier’s comments drew praise across the sports world. Engelbert released a statement pushing back on Collier’s claims. On Friday, she’ll get a chance to formally talk about them during her annual state of the league address.
MORE: Why Napheesa Collier blasted Cathy Engelbert for ‘worst leadership in the world’
The Sporting News is tracking live updates and highlights from Engelbert’s first public appearance since Collier’s explosive comments. Follow below to see how the WNBA Commissioner responded to Collier and her colleagues’ damning accusations.
Cathy Engelbert updates, highlights from first press conference since Napheesa Collier remarks
Updates will start closer to the press conference’s 7 p.m. ET start time.
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When is Cathy Engelbert’s press conference?
Engelbert is expected to speak with the media at 7 p.m. ET, one hour before the the WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces tips off.
How to watch Cathy Engelbert press conference today
Engelbert’s press conference will be available to watch on WNBA League Pass. The spectacle is also likely to be broadcast on YouTube, either through the WNBA’s official channel or third-party channels. ESPN is also expected to carry at least a portion of the press conference on its WNBA Countdown program.
