WNBPA, players condemn commissioner Cathy Engelbert over interview about race, Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry

The Women's National Basketball Players Association and several players across the league spoke out against commissioner Cathy Engelbert after her appearance on CNBC on Tuesday.

Engelbert was asked about the “darker” and “more menacing” tone that has been taken by some fans on social media this season, especially when it comes to star rookies Caitlin Clark, who is white, and Angel Reese, who is Black. According to the players’ union and several players, her answers fell short.

What did Cathy Engelbert say?

Engelbert, speaking on “Power Lunch,” was asked about the growing harassment players have received on social media and the racial aspect that has been brought into the conversation when it comes to Clark and Reese, among other things.

There have been plenty of issues players have shared in this regard all season long. Reese said earlier this month that some of Clark's fans have harassed her online, hit her with death threats, followed her home, published naked photos of her through AI and more.

Several other players have been hit with ugly comments from fans after committing hard fouls against Clark this season. One person allegedly harassed Chennedy Carter and called her a "ghetto b**ch" at her team hotel after she shoulder-checked Clark. Diamond DeShields even shared a post of someone saying they hoped her spinal tumor would come back.

But instead of getting into those details, Engelbert focused on the rivalry between Reese and Clark on the court and how that’s growing the league. She compared it to the early rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the NBA.

"There's no more apathy. Everybody cares," she said. "It is a little of that [Larry] Bird-Magic [Johnson] moment if you recall from 1979, when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one Black. And so we have that moment with these two.

"But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."

As for the social media aspect of it, Engelbert said that her best advice is to simply ignore it. She then immediately turned to how corporations and others are now investing into the league like never before.

WNBPA, players slam Engelbert

Quickly, the WNBPA condemned Engelbert’s comments on Tuesday night.

"This is not about rivalries or iconic personalities fueling a business model," WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said, in part. "This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago."

Many players followed suit.

"It's taken a darker turn in terms of the types of comments and the vitriol that's coming through to the players, and it's not OK," Las Vegas Aces forward Alysha Clark said, <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/41212291/engelbert-response-interview-said-disservice-wnba">via ESPN</a>. "I wish [Engelbert] would have just said that — 'It's not OK.'

"At the end of the day, when we take these uniforms off, we're human beings, and that doesn't mean because we're athletes, we are automatically just allowed to be subjected to those types of comments and hate. And so I just think there was a real missed opportunity to shut that down and just be like, 'We don't condone any of that.'"

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart also addressed Engelbert’s comments after their win over the Dallas Wings. Stewart said she was part of discussions that were had with the WNBPA about Engelbert’s comments earlier in the day, too.

"I think that it's kind of disappointing to hear," Stewart said, via ESPN. "The way that the fans have surged, and especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing a race aspect to a different level — you know, there's no place for that in our sport. We want our sport to be inclusive for race, gender, and really a place where people can be themselves.

"So we wished, obviously, Cathy would use her platform in a different way and have made that a little bit better. Kind of just telling the fans like, enough is enough. Become a fan of our sport and for the new ones, lock in on everybody, but don't be disrespectful. Because as a league, we stick together, and there's no place for that."

Engelbert responded to criticism on social media late on Tuesday night and clarified her comments.

Engelbert was hired as the WNBA commissioner in 2019 after a five-year stint as the CEO of Deloitte. She replaced former WNBA president Lisa Borders.