;Fines have been handed out like candy in 2025 by Cathy Engelbert and Co. “Seems like all of free speech is being fined right now,”  Napheesa Collier said. Many have shied away from controversy after those fines, and Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis is no exception. “The last time I spoke about things like that, I got fined. So, I think it’s better if I think it’s better if I don’t say anything.” He revealed after being asked about the ongoing CBA battle. 

Regardless, the CBA conversation is important even from Davis’ perspective as it pertains to the stability of the league. It’s a league where he invested $2 million to buy the Aces in 2021 and is now worth $310 million, so he sent out a hopeful message to Cathy Engelbert on how to approach the negotiations. 

“I think they’ll work it out somehow. I hope; I haven’t been consulted, and I think it’s again, you know what side of the table I’d probably be sitting on. So we’ll get it right, and I think I don’t think that there are two sides to this. If we look at it as togetherness and trying to make the future better, I think that’s what we need to do. We’ll see if that works.” He said. 

Cathy Engelbert is currently unpopular to say the least. When commissioner Cathy Engelbert stepped up to crown the Las Vegas Aces as WNBA champions, the fans drowned her words in a wave of relentless boos. The jeering didn’t stop, echoing through her finals MVP presentation to A’ja Wilson. Aces players barely acknowledged her presence on stage, and Engelbert quietly left the court as the celebrations roared on and ESPN’s Holly Rowe took over with Wilson. Even then, the boos chased her out.

There is reason for the wave of hate around Engelbert. She has never really connected with the players’ side of things. “She’s not a people person,” said another source familiar with Engelbert in the Sports Business Journal report. “That’s not who she is. It has been an issue [before CBA negotiations].” 

Even Adam Silver opined that this has become ‘too personal’. But when its bout how much money ends up in the players’ pockets, the personal and business tend to mix. And having a good personal relationship would have helped Cathy Engelbert. If Engelbert keeps the numbers aside for a moment and just looks at it like Davis asked her to, not as a competition in who wins the negotiation, but what the best result is for the league as a whole. 

She has committed to changing things: “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.” However, at this point, only actions will convince the fans and the players. 

The current CBA was signed in January 2020 and was originally set to run through 2027. However, the WNBPA’s decision to opt out early moved the expiration to October 31 this year. So, the reparations need to happen fast.”While Davis called for unity and a shared vision for the league’s future, Engelbert’s previous business decisions, particularly her 2022 investment strategy, now stand as central points of contention shaping the current negotiations.

Cathy Engelbert’s 2022 Gamble Could Come Back to Haunt Her

Giving the player the equity they need is more complicated for Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA The league does not completely own itself. For years, the NBA has had a 42% stake in the league, and the league had 58% until 2022. Engelbert raised $75 million for a 16% stake from outside investors. 

According to the league announcement, “Proceeds from this transaction are expected to be used for brand elevation and marketing; globalization of the WNBA; innovation, digital, and growth of consumer touchpoints; and human capital and operational optimization as part of an overall effort to address some of the league’s obstacles to growth and generating new revenue.”

But we haven’t seen where the money was invested, and the league hasn’t given any explanation. It’s a similar problem regarding the rest of their financials. They haven’t shown the actual numbers to the players in the CBA negotiations. However, $75 million has undervalued the league’s growth. According to Forbes and Sportico, the average valuation of a WNBA team in 2025 is around $269 million, with the total touching $3.5 billion. The 2022 deal valued it at just $1 billion. According to Front Office Sports, that deal was a “costly mistake” for Engelbert.” 

That isn’t the only deal Cathy Engelbert has undervalued. The media rights deal starting next year is looking the same after just a year.  Now, the president needs equity to provide for its players. Currently, they get only 9.3% of all their basketball income as opposed to 51% in the NBA. The players are just asking for what they deserve.