Cathy Engelbert handed Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese reality check by 3x NBA All-Star over controversial statements 

Cathy Engelbert handed Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese reality check by 3x NBA All-Star over controversial statements (Image sources: Getty and Imagn)
Cathy Engelbert handed Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese reality check by 3x NBA All-Star over controversial statements (Image sources: Getty and Imagn)

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas chimed in on the issue surrounding WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. On Tuesday, Napheesa Collier delivered a lengthy statement that criticized the WNBA for having "the worst leadership in the world."

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In one part of her remarks, the Minnesota Lynx star recounted a conversation with Engelbert about young stars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers. Engelbert allegedly told Collier that Clark "should be grateful" to the league and players should be "on their knees" thanking her for the new broadcasting rights deal.

On Wednesday, Arenas shared two posts on Threads that threw shots at Engelbert:

"That WNBA commissioner need to upgrade her stance. Her statement woulda worked if Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark hadn’t come onto the scene."
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"Them two came into the league retiring their parents. They were millionaires in college already."
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Clark and Reese were both selected in the 2024 WNBA draft, with Clark being drafted No. 1, while Reese was the No. 7 pick. Days before the draft in April 2024, On3 released the final NIL valuation of both players. The Indiana Fever star was listed at $3.4 million, while the Chicago Sky star was at $1.8 million.

According to Collier, she had a conversation with Engelbert amid the inaugural season of Unrivaled in February.

"I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years. Her response was, 'Caitlin should be grateful she makes $60 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything.'"
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"In that same conversation, she told me 'players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.'"

Arenas played 11 seasons in the NBA from 2001 until 2012. He was a three-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and was named the Most Improved Player in 2003.

Gilbert Areanas says Cathy Engelbert should be 'grateful' to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

In a clip of "The Gilbert Arenas Show" posted on social media, the former NBA All-Star echoed his previous posts on Threads about Cathy Engelbert. Arenas blasted Engelbert for her comments about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, saying the WNBA commissioner needs "a reality check."

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"They made more money in college than most of your teams combined," Arenas said on Wednesday. "'They should be grateful?' No, you should be grateful that these two women was poppin' in the college basketball to bring their fandom to your league. You should be grateful."
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In her response to Napheesa Collier, Engelbert said that she was "disheartened" about what she heard.

The fanbases of Clark and Reese also did not take Engelbert's comment on how the WNBA drove the young stars' popularity lightly. They believe that it is the other way around, and it is arguably true, as the league's viewership increased last season.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos
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