The 2025 WNBA season has officially come to an end, with the Las Vegas Aces being crowned as champions after a dominating sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. A’ja Wilson and co. completely turning their season around and winning it all should be the main story right now, but it isn’t.
That’s thanks to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose public feud with Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has made waves around the sports sphere. Collier publicly called out Engelbert for her poor leadership and unsavory comments behind the scenes. Engelbert has defended herself through the media space, which has only further strained her relationship with the players.
In reality, the WNBA should be in a great place as a sports league. An influx of incredible talent over the past few years has put the league on the map like never before. A major TV rights deal will only strengthen the league’s position on a national and global scale. Engelbert has been key in all of that, but she hasn’t really gotten the credit.
Cathy Engelbert’s poor communication is the biggest reason WNBA players don’t like her
That’s because it’s not her business acumen that lessens her image in the eyes of WNBA players. They know what she can bring to the table in that aspect. It’s been her poor communication and seeming lack of empathy with players that has rubbed so many of them the wrong way.
As outlined in a report by Front Office Sports, after the retirements of WNBA legends Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker, both players made note of the complete lack of communication from Engelbert. They couldn’t even get a “congratulations” on completing historic careers in the league.
That poor communication has seemingly carried over to the current players. None of them feel as if Engelbert understands what they want or need from the league, and it sounds like she isn’t very interested in trying to get closer to them. With that in mind, there’s no wonder why there’s so much friction between the players and the league office.
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