WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert denies saying Caitlin Clark needs to be ‘grateful’ for WNBA platform

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said there were a lot of “inaccuracies” in what Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier recently shared from a private conversation that occurred earlier this year. She specifically denied the alleged comments on how Caitlin Clark “should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.” 

Engelbert addressed the situation in a press conference ahead of Friday’s Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

“Obviously, I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said. “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. 


“But again, I’m not going to get into every point counterpoint, it’s not productive here. We’re here to celebrate the WNBA Finals. I think what Indiana just did was amazing with all the injuries they had, and everything they faced this year and bringing that to a Game 5 and overtime. But yeah, as I said, there’s a lot of inaccuracies reported out there, and I certainly did not say that.
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Earlier in the week, Clark herself spoke about the situation but did not specifically address what Engelbert allegedly said about her. However, Clark did say Collier made “a lot of very valid points” and that this is an important moment for the league.

Engelbert did not go into detail about what other parts of Collier’s statement were inaccurate. However, she emphasized that she was disheartened about the entire situation and wanted to work on improving her relationship with the players.

“I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league, and me personally, do not care about them or listen to them,” she said. “And if the players in the W don’t feel appreciated and valued by the League, then we have to do better, and I have to do better.”