Sports commissioners are supposed to take heat for their leagues and their ownership, it’s part of the job. Just ask Gary Bettman, Rob Manfred, Roger Goodell, and Adam Silver. But the fire that is coming for WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is unprecedented in modern sports history.
It all started when Engelbert was called out by one of the WNBA’s best players, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx were upset by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals after officiating controversy, a suspension for head coach Cheryl Reeve, and an injury to Collier.
With the WNBA also entering a period of severe labor strife, Collier took aim at the Engelbert, saying the WNBA had the worst leadership in the world. As a players union leader, co-founder of 3v3 league Unrivaled, and one of the league’s top players, Collier has a unique platform and authority. And she used it in a way that few players ever have before.
Collier’s statement and revelation about Engelbert’s comments about Caitlin Clark and attitude towards the league, its players, and their product, has led to a firestorm of controversy. And it’s led to others from Stephen A. Smith to Stacey Dales to call out Cathy Engelbert.
Now you can add another name to that list – Scott Van Pelt.
SVP dedicated his One Big Thing segment to the burgeoning controversy, expressing his shock and dismay over what players like Collier and Elena Delle Donne shared about their experiences with Engelbert.
Scott Van Pelt addresses Cathy Engelbert being called out by Napheesa Collier.
“If she actually suggested Caitlin Clark should be grateful for what she makes off the court, that’s preposterous! Did you miss the Iowa years?” pic.twitter.com/A76QC7vZND
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 2, 2025
Scott Van Pelt touched on comments from Delle Donne that after she retired, Cathy Engelbert was one of the few people in the league that didn’t reach out to the former MVP.
“The one that blew me away is the post from Elena Delle Donne on Instagram,” Van Pelt said. “I don’t like to pile on, that’s not my thing. But when a player as beloved, respected, and decorated as Delle Donne retires as a multiple MVP, league champion, seven-time All-Star, and member of the W25, which celebrated the top 25 players in the league’s first 25 years, you throw that woman a parade. To fail even the most basic and decent things to do, which is to reach out to say thanks, which by the way couldn’t be easier to do, is to fail the most basic and decent things to do.”
SVP also called out Engelbert’s astonishing comments about Caitlin Clark, who said according to Collier that the WNBA has given Clark a platform to be successful, apparently forgetting that 18.7 million people watched her lead the Iowa Hawkeyes in a national championship game against South Carolina.
“As for what Engelbert is alleged to have said to Collier, if she actually suggested Caitlin Clark should be grateful for what she makes off the court, that’s preposterous! Did you miss the Iowa years? Clark is the Tiger Woods tide that lifts all boats. And we know, this show is proof. The highest rating that we have ever had followed one of her games at Iowa. The WNBA has benefitted from her presence more than the other way around, even though this year for Caitlin Clark was essentially lost to injury,” Van Pelt declared.
Scott Van Pelt challenged Cathy Engelbert to address the controversy head on before the WNBA Finals kicks off tomorrow night beyond her statement released to the press. But with seemingly the entire WNBA and the greater sports world presenting a united front against her, it may be too late for her to do or say anything to make her position tenable.
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