RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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While WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert continues to sidestep questions about her future and reports indicate a growing influence from NBA commissioner Adam Silver over the women’s league, the conversation has shifted toward where Engelbert has fallen short.
Over the league’s All-Star weekend in Chicago, many star players were asked specific questions about their relationships with Engelbert and how present she is in their lives and careers. Notably, Caitlin Clark emphasized her closeness with Silver more than Engelbert, while A’ja Wilson said, somewhat jokingly, that the closest she gets to Engelbert is when the commissioner is handing her trophies.
In a new episode of her podcast , Chiney Today , ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike expressed concerns that Engelbert is falling short of expectations in forming genuine bonds with the league’s top athletes and figures .
“When we talk about open-door policies, Cathy Engelbert says she has an open-door policy, but to me, players have to initiate,” Ogwumike said. “I don’t see a circumstance, in my experience and in talking to a number of (players), where she’s doing a lot of the initiating. Or, a player might initiate, and the follow-up may not be in a meaningful way where the player feels like their relationship can continue to go.”
Ogwumike’s perspective is especially useful on these dynamics, given that she played in the WNBA under Ogwumike and now works as an analyst across the NBA, WNBA, and women’s college basketball.
Ogwumike added that even though she never played in the NBA and spends most of her time as a broadcaster covering women’s hoops these days, she has much closer connections to Silver, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, and Kathy Behrens, the NBA’s president of player programs, than she does with anyone in the WNBA league office.
“When we reach out, it’s not ignored,” Ogwumike said of the NBA. “But they also know us. They are invested in our stories.”
While Ogwumike clarified that she did notice an effort from Engelbert early on to form genuine ties with players, now she believes Engelbert has failed to “be there in the biggest and most challenging moments” when players most need support.
“I think dynamics have changed with Cathy Engelbert. That was initially the aspiration, and at times, I felt that,” she said. “I think there is a level of responsibility on the commissioner to be there in the biggest and most challenging moments, and we are not necessarily experiencing that, despite myself having countless friendly encounters with her.”
Though Ogwumike is speaking from personal experience in this case, it is also useful to remember that she is sister to Nneka Ogwumike, a veteran WNBA star and the president of the players’ union. Likely, Ogwumike is aware of many other players’ experiences with Engelbert as well.
Engelbert’s contract is reportedly up after the season , and Silver was believed to be in the driver’s seat for a recent suspension issued for Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas after an altercation with Clark .
The post Chiney Ogwumike: Cathy Engelbert not there for WNBA players ‘in the biggest and most challenging moments’ appeared first on Awful Announcing .
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