Caitlin Clark Says WNBA Commissioner Has Not Reached Out Since Controversy

The tension between players and leadership in the WNBA is boiling over, and Caitlin Clark has now added her voice to the mix. Speaking Thursday, the Indiana Fever guard confirmed that Commissioner Cathy Engelbert still hasn’t contacted her following Napheesa Collier’s public recounting of a private exchange that thrust Clark into the spotlight.

Collier had claimed Engelbert said Clark and others “should be on their knees” thankful for the WNBA’s platform, pointing specifically to Clark’s growing endorsement portfolio. The quote sparked outrage across the league and online, and while Engelbert issued a vague response expressing “disheartenment” at how her remarks were framed, Clark said she hasn’t heard a word from her.

Clark Breaks Silence, Acknowledges Collier’s Points

Speaking for the first time since the All-Star Game in July, Clark said she hadn’t heard about the alleged comments before this week, nor had she spoken with Engelbert in the aftermath. “No,” she replied when asked both questions directly. Still, Clark backed Collier’s decision to go public, noting that many of her critiques were valid.

Collier’s lengthy statement called out what she described as a failure of leadership and care from the league’s top officials. The controversy erupted after Collier shared that Engelbert implied Clark’s sponsorships wouldn’t exist without the WNBA, a claim that rattled many players who have long felt unsupported or underappreciated by the league’s brass.

Injury, Frustration, and a Missing Voice from the Top

Clark’s own season ended early with a right groin injury, compounded by what she described as the worst ankle sprain of her career. She’s still not back to full health but is aiming to return to five-on-five basketball by late October. “It was pretty hard sitting on the bench. I’m not going to lie. There were certainly hard days,” she admitted. Still, she sees the experience as formative: “This is a moment and a season I’ll look back on and be like, ‘This is why I am who I am today.’”

Her teammates voiced frustrations too. Sophie Cunningham didn’t mince words during end-of-season media availability. “I’m tired of our league, they need to step up and be better,” she said. Cunningham, who suffered a season-ending injury herself, warned of a possible lockout in the spring and expressed concern that league decision-makers may lack real basketball experience. “They might be great business people, but they don’t know [expletive] about basketball, and that’s got to change.”

With a new collective bargaining agreement still pending, ongoing issues around officiating, and a leaguewide spike in injuries, player dissatisfaction is becoming impossible to ignore.

Fever’s Resilience Highlights Larger Concerns

Despite missing key players, the Indiana Fever made an impressive postseason push. They forced a decisive Game 5 against second-seeded Las Vegas and even took it to overtime—all without All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell on the floor. Boston fouled out, and Mitchell was rushed to the hospital with such severe cramps she reportedly couldn’t feel her legs or feet, as detailed by The Athletic.

“I just kind of felt scared,” Mitchell said. “My legs were so numb and so paralyzed, so to speak, that I couldn’t feel my feet.” Fever execs have said re-signing her is a top priority this offseason, and it’s clear why—she led Indiana in scoring and was instrumental to their playoff run.

But injuries like hers weren’t isolated. Clark, Cunningham, and two other Fever players all suffered season-ending injuries. Cunningham summed it up grimly: “The game’s not fun to watch because everyone’s just trying to kill each other. That’s how you survive or you get injured.”

A Defining Offseason for the League’s Future

As Clark focuses on rehabbing and preparing for USA Basketball commitments, her absence of communication with the commissioner raises bigger questions. What does accountability look like when leadership won’t even pick up the phone?

Clark’s closing words offered a dose of clarity—and warning. “We are in the biggest moment in WNBA history. There’s no denying that… We have a responsibility to make sure this game is in a great place going forward, with the CBA, with caring for players, and building this league to make sure it’s in a great spot for many years to come.”

The clock is ticking. If league leadership doesn’t act quickly and intentionally, the WNBA may find itself in a deeper crisis come spring.