Cathy Engelbert reacted to Napheesa Collier’s criticism, but that was the only response she gave on the hot topic of the moment. Everyone showed their support for the Lynx forward for her stand and courage to speak out. Moreover, the WNBA Commissioner was a target for many after she undervalued Caitlin Clark during discussions with Phee.
Interestingly, the WNBA Commissioner delivered a candid take on the “Caitlin Clark Effect” earlier in the season, and now she had to deal with the comments made.
Cathy Engelbert Denied Comments On Caitlin Clark
Fans, players, and analysts blasted the WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, for making absurd comments about Caitlin Clark’s earnings off the court. As Collier opened up on her conversation with the WNBA executive, she mentioned that Engelbert said that “she should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”
While this was an attempt to diminish CC’s impact on the league and even a disrespect to her status as ‘face of the league’, she spoke about Collier’s claims.
“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 in tens of millions of new fans to the game, proud of what she’s put on the court. Unfortunately, the injuries held her back from a full season this year,” Englebert said.
Cathy Engelbert on if she said Caitlin Clark “should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court”:
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) October 3, 2025
“Obviously, I did not make those comments.”
Engelbert denies she made the comment.
(Q: @AnnieCostabile)
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She added that the moment is to celebrate the WNBA finals and lauded the Indiana Fever team for their efforts in the playoffs. While Sophie Cunningham criticized Cathy Engelbert for overlooking Caitlin Clark’s impact amid league growth, the WNBA Commissioner claims that she never said any of those things.
Caitlin Clark Silently Criticizes Cathy Engelbert
While Napheesa Collier’s speech was fiery, the former Iowa star kept it low-key. Still, her ‘cold’ words were enough to give the WNBA commissioner an earful. Without taking names, she fired shots at Engelbert after she didn’t call her since the Lynx forward’s speech.
“I think what people need to understand is we need great leadership in this time across all levels. This is straight up the most important moment in this league’s history. This league’s been around for 25-plus years, and this is a moment we have to capitalize on. So that’s honestly what I would say. I think Phee said it all with what she said,” Clark said in the exit interview.
But above all, she offered advice to Cathy Engelbert in her later sentences, outlining how the league should operate. She said, “I’d say the most important part of leadership, whether the WNBA, whether corporate America, comes down to relationships and really caring about the people you surround yourself with.”
CC herself is great at connecting with people. She often does philanthropic work to give back to society and even takes time to spend with fans. Her gameplay not only earns her a massive fan following but also her nature and behavior with the fans, which touch them the most.