Cathy Engelbert, Commissioner of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2019, has recently received significant criticism from players for her leadership of the league, specifically for her lack of player support and failure to address key issues.
Many players have called her poor leadership out, including Napheesa Collier, forward for the Minnesota Lynx and vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).
A new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is due Oct. 31 — a contract negotiated between the WNBA and WNBPA — and a lot of pressure has been put on Engelbert to make positive changes. Since Engelbert’s appointment as commissioner, the WNBA has seen significant growth. But the criticism coming from the players relates to officiating, racism, player safety and pay.
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said during a post-game interview.
Many players have supported Collier with her opinion. Lexie Hull, guard for the Indiana Fever, said before her Game 5 semifinal against the Las Vegas Aces, “I agree with everything [Collier] said. We’re at a really important time in the league and changes need to be made, and so you’re seeing her talk about that, and really proud of her for making that statement today.”
Retired WNBA player Elena Delle Donne posted on her Instagram story that “It’s the care for the human part for me. I’m still not sure if Cathy knows I retired. Heard from everyone but her,” reinforcing Collier’s statement.
In September of 2024, there were occurrences of hate speech towards rookies Caitlin Clark, a player for the Indiana Fever, and Angel Reese, a player for the Chicago Sky. However, Engelbert did little to support the former rookies.
“The one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don’t want everybody being nice to one another,” she said. “There is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else.”
Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 league co-founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart, forward for the New York Liberty, was launched in January. Valued at $340 million recently, the 2025 season for Unrivaled lasted about nine weeks, and players had an average salary of $222,222. In comparison, WNBA players earn an average salary of $130,000. Engelbert has not worked to make changes to this pay gap.
In response to the inequitable salaries, WNBA players wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts during the 2025 All-Star Weekend in July. Previous to the event, over 40 players met with the WNBPA to talk about the new CBA.
Fans of Clark have accused Engelbert of taking away Clark’s spotlight and refusing to give her credit after she brought in so many new fans of the WNBA in 2024. Collier shared that in a conversation with Engelbert in February, she asked why rookies, including Clark, “who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years.” According to Collier, Engelbert responded that Clark “should be grateful to make $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”
Another player for the Fever, Sophie Cunningham, commented on Instagram and said that “people only know Cathy because of [Caitlin]…[Cathy is] the most delusional leader our league has seen.”
Throughout the 2025 WNBA season, officiating was a significant problem which has worried coaches, players and fans. Engelbert was criticized for not acting upon the issue with officiating and fines. Cheryl Reeve, the head coach for the Minnesota Lynx, was fined $15,000 for conduct and comments against the referees in the semifinal series on Sept. 26. Many coaches defended her, including Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White. Both coaches were fined $1,000 for supporting Reeve.
Engelbert has commented on how there have been many inaccuracies in the comments people are saying she made.
“I did not make those comments…There is a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all of this reporting,” Engelbert said, during a conference prior to the start of the WNBA finals.
“[Players] are at the center of everything we do. I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and me personally don’t care about them or listen to them,” she added. “If the players in the WNBA don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better, and I have to do better.”
