Engelbert vows to ‘do better,’ denies Clark remark

LAS VEGAS — WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says there were “a lot of inaccuracies” in comments attributed to her by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and vehemently denied saying that Caitlin Clark and other standouts “should be on their knees” in gratitude because of the platform the league has given them.

“I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said at her annual news conference ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday.

“There is a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all of this reporting,” Engelbert added. “I highly respect the players. There is a lot of emotion and passion going on right now between collective bargaining. … I am obviously disheartened.”

In Collier’s explosive exit interview last week, she said the league has the “worst leadership in the world.” Engelbert said she has a meeting set with Collier next week and acknowledged there is room for her to grow her relationships with players.

“[Players] are at the center of everything we do,” Engelbert said. “I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and me personally don’t care about them or listen to them. 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.”

She continued: “I feel confident that we can repair any loss of trust. … I will do everything I can to change that. No one should ever doubt how deeply I care about this league, this game and every single player who makes up what the WNBA is.”

After Collier’s remarks earlier this week, many players voiced support and agreed with her criticism of Engelbert’s leadership.

Asked if she expects to be the commissioner beyond the current CBA negotiations amid calls for her resignation, Engelbert said, “I’ve never been a quitter … never shied away from tough situations.”

Engelbert said if there are specific issues the league office identifies and other problems players want addressed, she will do her best to address them. However, in a call Thursday, the players’ association informed players that the conversations with Engelbert, members of the league’s CBA committee and league counsel have made no progress.

Increased salaries and revenue sharing are among the biggest issues in these negotiations. On Friday, Engelbert said she shares the goal of higher pay for players, saying she wants to “significantly increase their salary and benefits” and has made proposals with large revenue share components, but the key is striking a balance where players are getting the returns they want while owners are still incentivized to invest and make money.

The current CBA expires Oct. 31 after the players’ union opted out of the current agreement last year. Engelbert said she is hopeful that a new deal will be reached by then but also acknowledged an extension might be needed.

Engelbert said it is the goal of the league and players to avoid a lockout next season. But there are other key events on the WNBA calendar before next spring that cannot happen without a new CBA. For example, there can not be an expansion draft — which is needed to build the rosters of the upcoming expansion teams, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo — until a new agreement is settled.

“You want to make sure you’re capitalizing on all this momentum that we’ve built up over the last five years or so that are really driving viewership into our game and fandom,” Engelbert said.

However, Englebert said there was “a long way to go” to come to an agreement, adding, “We will continue to negotiate until we have a transformative deal done.”

Other topics Engelbert covered at her news conference:

• Engelbert said the WNBA is establishing a “multi-stakeholder task force” to address concerns over the league’s officiating, which has been a major talking point for players and coaches this season.

The hope is that the task force serves as a “state of the game committee,” where players and other stakeholders are invited to voice their concerns to “ensure that officiating platform evolves and is in step with the growth of the league.”

Engelbert said a referee’s work is to serve the game, and to do that at the highest level, it requires alignment with the stakeholders to perform and be held accountable to that performance based on that alignment.

“It’s pretty clear that we are misaligned currently with what our stakeholders want from officiating,” she said. “Change is needed to serve the WNBA to the level of excellence that is not currently being met.”

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve recently called for a change of leadership at the league level regarding the hiring process of referees after a play that resulted in Collier being hurt in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals. Reeve said it was “malpractice” for the three officials of Game 4 to be calling that contest due to the level of physicality they allowed.

• On the pending sale of the Connecticut Sun, Engelbert said the team’s owners, the Mohegan Tribe, “continue to evaluate its strategic options” for whether it will continue as majority owners or minority investors or sell the entire franchise.

In early September, the state of Connecticut submitted a proposal for a bid that would keep the team in the state. Two months before, the team’s ownership group presented a deal to the WNBA that would relocate the franchise to Boston.

The proposed Connecticut investment, which would use funds affiliated with the state, would involve the Sun selling a minority stake in the franchise at a valuation higher than the WNBA’s current $250 million offer to buy the team. The WNBA’s bid would allow the franchise to be relocated to a market of the league office’s choosing.

“There’s no decision being made yet on their perspective on how they’re strategically looking at their next steps,” Engelbert said.