Cathy Engelbert is taking some accountability.
As criticism directed towards the WNBA commissioner continues to pile on from the league’s players, Engelbert said that she has to “do better.”
“I was disheartened to feel that some players feel the league, and me personally, do not care about them or listen to them,” Engelbert told reporters ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday. “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.
“We know how great these players are on and off the court and how much they mean to our league, our fans, and our communities. If they don’t feel that, I will do everything I can to change that.”
Engelbert’s comments come after multiple WNBA players have spoken out against the commissioner and the leadership around the league.
Lynx forward Naphessa Collier had perhaps the loudest remarks towards Engelbert, referring to her as “the worst leadership in the world” during a statement in which she also blasted the WNBA’s handling of officiating complaints and the current collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
“For too long, I have tried to have these conversations in private,” Collier, a vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, said on Tuesday. “But it’s clear there is no intention of accepting there’s a problem. The league has made it clear it isn’t about innovation, it isn’t about collaboration, it’s about control and power.
“Our leadership’s answer to being held accountable is to suppress everyone’s voices by handing out fines. I’m not concerned about a fine. I’m concerned about the future of our sport. At some point, everyone deserves to hear the truth from someone who I hope has earned the benefit of the doubt to fight for what is right and fair for our athletes and our fans.”
Collier, 29, also alleged that Engelbert told her in private that “players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.”
Engelbert responded to Collier’s comments in an earlier statement, saying, “I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and this work will not waver.”