WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert booed relentlessly while presenting championship trophy

On Friday, the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 to win their third WNBA Finals in the last four seasons. After the game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the stage to present the Aces with the championship trophy. However, things took an unexpected turn when Engelbert received heavy boos from the crowd.

Engelbert has experienced heavy criticism the past two weeks after Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier openly criticized her in late September. Specifically, Collier chastised Engelbert for the lack of change in the league’s officiating and her unwillingness to improve players’ pay despite the WNBA’s rising popularity.

“This conversation is not about winning or losing. It’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings, or even missed calls or physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office,” Collier said. “Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates.

“… Right now, we have the worst leadership in the world. We serve a league that has shown they think championship coaches and Hall of Fame players are dispensable, and that’s fine. It’s professional sports. But I will not stand quietly by and allow different standards to be applied at the league level.”

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert getting booed when she presents the Championship trophy pic.twitter.com/sOdHGnImEE

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 11, 2025

Collier also claimed Cathy Engelbert shot down the idea of paying young stars like Caitlin Clark more than what a traditional WNBA rookie would earn. In fact, Collier alleged players like Clark should be “on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.”

Engelbert refuted this claim. Additionally, the former Deloitte CEO provided an in-depth response to Collier’s comments ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

“I have the utmost respect for Napheesa and for every single player in our league. They are at the center of everything we do,” Engelbert said. “I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league, and me personally do not care about them or listen to them. And 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, 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. No one should ever doubt how deeply I care about this league, this game, and every single player who makes the WNBA what it is. So, we value feedback. We listen to criticism. We remain committed to engaging in the difficult but necessary conversations that ultimately make us all stronger.”