The “single biggest needle mover in all of American sports since Michael Jordan”, namely Caitlin Clark, was blatantly disrespected by the WNBA Commissioner. At least, that is what Napheesa Collier alleged. “Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,” the WNBPA Vice President accused Cathy Engelbert of saying. 

“Had you heard that story from her before she said it publicly?” A reporter asked Caitlin Clark during her exit interview. Before the question could even finish, Clark answered with a resounding ‘No.’  However, the latest report from ESPN contradicts this answer, in a way. “Multiple sources contacted by ESPN said Collier had relayed Engelbert’s comments to them within several days of the February meeting.” Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews wrote in “Napheesa Collier, Cathy Engelbert and a WNBA teetering on the brink.”

Engelbert has denied having ever made that statement altogether. “Obviously, I did not make those comments. Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought tens of millions of fans to the game,” Engelbert said. Still, her denial has faced some skepticism among certain league circles.

Assuming this report is right, there are three possible scenarios: Engelbert made the statements, and Collier relayed them to all the players, including Caitlin Clark. The point guard just did not want to reveal this information in her interview to avoid controversy. Then there is a possibility that Collier relayed it to some players and not Clark. Then there is the third, where Engelbert never made the statements altogether. 

Which one seems likely depends on perspective, but in my view, option three is the longest shot. Especially because the way Engelbert handled the other revealed alleged conversation. “Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them,” is the statement in question, which Engelbert apparently said. 

“There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all this reporting,” Engelbert said as a response. “A lot of reporting, a lot of inaccuracy about what I say, what I didn’t say.” That is not an explicit denial. And more particularly, she has already said the public-friendly version of basically the same thing. 

Back in April 2024, Engellbert mentioned in a CNBC interview, “Caitlin has the ability to make $500,000, half a million just in WNBA wages this year. She’ll make a little bit more than that, but she also has millions and millions of dollars coming in from endorsements. She’s actually…. because she declared to become pro, her endorsements are higher in dollar value.”  She further added, “She has a global platform now, not just a US platform. So, she’s going to do just fine, as will the top players in the league.” As a result of this fallout, the CBA talks don’t seem to be going anywhere until the Commissioner steps down. 

CBA Talks Stalled Until Cathy Engelbert’s Exit

The answers from Cathy Engelbert have eroded trust as Napheesa Collier reportedly canceled her next meeting with Collier. Engelbert’s claim at Friday’s presser that Collier’s account of their private talk was “riddled with inaccuracies,” which “pretty much pushed the relationship beyond repair,” according to ESPN. 

“This is an inflection point for the league,” one longtime senior executive told ESPN. “There is a root cause, and it’s lack of transparency, lack of trust in the league and the relationship between the players and the league.”

In layman’s terms, the WNBA (7% of BRI to the players)  says they can’t afford to pay the players the same share as the NBA (51%). The players say show the numbers, and the WNBA just doesn’t. Now there are more complicated issues within these problems, like the publicly announced money the league is already getting, $250 million from each expansion team, 2026 onwards, and the $200 million per year media rights deal. If the league says it still can’t afford to pay the players, then a detailed reveal is a must. 

The lack of trust is well known across the leadership, but the NBA (which owns roughly 42% of the WNBA) wants to reportedly use it to its advantage. “She’s already unpopular,” one league source who is involved in CBA talks said. “So let her be the bad guy in CBA negotiations, then replace her.”

Engelbert denied any rumors of her exit. “I’ve never been a quitter, never shied away from tough situations,” Engelbert said. “I think leadership, the cream always rises to the top, and I’ve always been someone who believes in the fact that we have, if there are things we need to fix, we’re going to fix ’em. If there are things the players have a perspective on that they don’t like that we’re doing or I’m doing, we’ll fix.” 

However, if the two parties never get to the table, we are headed for a 2026 lockout that could cost the league almost all its progress. By extension, it will cost the NBA, so either Adam Silver will have to step in and negotiate on Cathy Engelbert’s behalf, which would be a temporary solution. Or a more permanent solution is to fire Engelbert and replace her with a more agreeable commissioner.