The 2025 WNBA has been in the spotlight for a variety of reasons. From the most glamorous orange carpet event in the history of the league to the so-called rivalry between Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. And, not to forget the officiating issues that have been haunting the regular season so far, this time it is the league’s commissioner on the line. Well, Cathy Engelbert became the latest target on the block. And for all the wrong reasons.

If the already ensuing drama surrounding this year’s regular season was not enough, here is another reason to tune into the matches. Phoenix Mercury player Satou Sabally coldly called out Engelbert and the league in a recent post-game interview to highlight the scheduling issues. As players spend most of their time practicing and subsequently playing on the hardwood, Sabally criticized Cathy for adding more games across teams in a less duration of time and emphasized on being treated as professionals. But she isn’t the only one to feel so.

American women’s basketball legend, Candace Parker joined Jemele Hill on her latest YouTube video and validated Satou Sabally’s statement. Sharing her idea of WNBA’s progress on the podcast, Parker said, “Where I’d like to see it go is; I would like it to become player-first and I think it’s becoming that.” Parker criticized Cathy Engelbert by claiming that the league fails to put its players as a priority.

Moreover, Parker compared Engelbert’s leadership with that of Adam Silver’s. “We look at the NBA. Adam Silver has a conversation with Chris Paul, LeBron James constantly about any changes they are thinking about making anything,” she added. Emphasizing on the player-first approach, Parker said that the NBA commissioner stays connected with the players, constantly asking for their inputs.

Silver’s collaborative style, working with the NBPA to craft an In-Season Tournament that included built-in rest periods, shows a league that treats players as partners. That stands in stark contrast to the WNBA’s top-down approach to scheduling and rule changes.

These conversations go a long way in not just establishing connections, but also for understanding the persistent issues and improving the league. Well, the veteran gave an example of how Silver has stayed in touch with the athlete through all of her personal and professional milestones. It is this communication that helps secure the players integrity in the league, and makes them feel like an important part of the system.

“Relationships matter because when you all have a common goal and you all are on the same page, it’s just going to work. And so I think we just all have to get on the same page with front office management, all that down to the players,” Parker said. Needless to say, a basketball player has a long professional career. And if the league wants players to sustain, they should extend a hand and build relationships beyond the court.

Since each athlete, franchise, and the W has a common goal, these relationships with the office management will help foster a sense of belongingness in players as Engelbert & Co. seeks to progress towards the betterment of the league. It will also help identify the areas that the league needs to improve upon. While Engelbert’s efforts have visibly brought a positive changed in the way the women’s sport is being perceived, the W has a long way to go.

“We had nine games in 18 days,” Satou Sabally opens up about degrading behaviour by the WNBA

The Phoenix Mercury athlete, Satou Sabally directly addressed WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert in a post-game interview. She pointed out at the scheduling issues and questioned Engelbert’s decision. The Desert Wave Media shared two clips of Sabally from the interview, where she emphasizes on health of other athletes, with respect to the ongoing games.

The official media account took to X (former Twitter) and posted a caption that read, “Phoenix Mercury forward and WNBPA player representative Satou Sabally called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for adding more games this season. “We had nine games in 18 days. That’s not really responsible for a commissioner.'”

In the first video, a visibly frustrated Sabally focused on how the league should have scheduled the games by keeping players’ health in mind. “Cathy added a lot of games and us as players, recovery is so important,” Sabally stressed. “We put our bodies on the line every single time. We had 9 games in 18 days. That’s not really responsible for a commissioner.” While the teams have consecutive matches to tend to, it is the players that have to bear the brunt of this brutal ordeal.

Their bodies are not used to A) attend practice sessions, then B) travel to different locations, and C) play against the opponents. And if this continues, where players are working on minimal rest, it will take a toll on their bodies in the long run. “I think other teams have like three back-to-backs,” Sabally highlighted. “It was just a lot of things that we could clean up in terms of scheduling but we persevered and we showed that we could do it. This is just something that, obviously over the course of a long season, that’s really hard to do.”

Though athletes have pushed themselves and persevered so far, thinking that they can manage a lifestyle where their bodies are in functional mode for a maximum number of hours. However, this attitude might not last long. Having said that, Sabally praised each team but posed a looming question in the second clip. She rhetorically quizzed the league in the wake of the consecutive games.

“How fast can you recover? Obviously we have a great staff and I trust in that but in previous years it did look different for me and I know It was not like that across the whole league.” While the league has added more games to generate more views and a higher revenue this season, they have completely disregarded the health and integrity of the players and teams involved.

And in all this chaos surrounding the back-to-back games, all the forward player asks is to be treated as professionals. As athletes who are doing their service to the league. And deserve to be treated the same way. “So, even knowing, just making sure that all teams supply the necessary recovery tools, treat professionals as professionals, but also the league being able to work together with players and not just throw them out there.”

But as the season progresses, can Cathy Engelbert and team do something to safeguard the players or continue with the games? With the league’s hands full of chaos and ensuing drama this season, it remains to be seen whether they implement new rules regarding the season’s matches.