WNBA Commissioner Drops Bombshell On Caitlin Clark Amid Growing League TurmoilCaitlin Clark (Photo By Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
If you thought Caitlin Clark’s rookie season was wild, buckle up. Things just got a whole lot messy for her.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has doubled down on her stance as the league balances record-breaking growth with rising tension, and yes, Clark is right in the middle of it. From jersey sales to All-Star snubs, to a groin injury and even protests at center court, the 23-year-old Indiana Fever star can’t seem to catch a break. And now, Engelbert’s latest comments clarified that the league’s not going to build itself around just one player, no matter how famous she is.

“No league ever made themselves on one player,” Engelbert told Daily Mail. “Even in the Bird-Magic era, the Michael Jordan era—you have to build around all of your stars.”

Clark’s Rise, And The Problem That Followed

Kelsey Plum Takes An Ugly & Unnecessary Shot At Caitlin Clark With Her Head-Scratching Comment About The “Pay Us What You Owe Us” All-Star Game Warm-Up T-ShirtsCaitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum (Photo By Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

Clark’s face has been everywhere this season, from commercials to fan merch, and her presence has sent WNBA ticket sales, viewership, and media coverage through the roof. But as the spotlight grows, so does the heat.

During All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, Clark joined other stars in a silent protest wearing shirts that read, Pay Us What You Owe Us. The message was loud. The crowd responded with chants of Pay Them! Directed squarely at Engelbert, who still believes a “transformational” CBA deal is coming.

 

“We’ve been preparing for this growth,” Engelbert said. “If you build it, they will come—and they did.”

But that rise hasn’t come without bruises. Literally. Clark has taken hits on the court, some subtle, others not. Chennedy Carter, Angel Reese, and Kelsey Plum have all found themselves wrapped into incidents or headlines involving the No. 1 pick. Some fans cry foul. Others call it basketball.

Engelbert didn’t back away. “Everyone’s getting bumped. It’s a physical league,” she said. “Caitlin has handled it great.”

Still, Clark has missed 13 games already this season due to injury. Her brother even blamed the refs for her latest setback in a now-deleted post. The noise around her doesn’t seem to fade, and that’s exactly why Engelbert is trying to shift the conversation.

“We’ve built household names,” she said, listing A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi. “You can never build it around one.”

So, for now, Clark stays at the center of the storm. But the league? It’s moving forward, global expansion, new teams, and a growing wave of attention. Whether Clark rides that wave or gets crushed by it remains to be seen.

Brittney Griner Finally Breaks Her Silence Over Alleged Caitlin Clark Comments That The WNBA Refused To Investigate

Brittney Griner speaking to reporterBrittney Griner (Photo via Twitter)
WNBA star Brittney Griner was at the center of a new debate over what she allegedly said in a game against basketball phenom Caitlin Clark.

The Atlanta Dream center found herself at the center of social media controversy last month when some fans thought she disparaged Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark upon fouling out.

The game’s broadcast focused on an upset Griner saying something as she returned to the Dream bench after fouling out of the game. While there’s no audio of this moment, some who tried to read Griner’s lips thought she called Clark a “trash f–king white girl.”

However, there’s no proof of Griner saying those actual words since others thought she stated something else.

It took weeks for someone to finally get a quote from her, and she provided much of nothing.

Brittney Griner was asked about this moment before her team’s June 15 game against the Washington Mystics and said, “I remember fouling out, being mad. I remember fouling out on, I believe it was [Natasha] Howard driving to the basket. They said I put my hand in.”

WNBA Chooses Not To Investigate Brittney Griner

Griner Drops F-Bomb, Apologizes Amid Clark Slur RowBrittney Griner (Photo By Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)
Moments before the conclusion of the Indiana Fever’s 81-76 victory over the Dream at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta weeks ago, cameras seemingly caught Atlanta Dream star center Brittney Griner labeling Caitlin Clark “trash” before calling her a “f***ing white girl” in frustration over a foul on Natasha Howard.

The clip of Griner speaking on the bench, lacking context, spread on social media and went viral.

Griner, who won a gold medal for Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, essentially got aw@y with whatever came out of her mouth because the league basically ignored the controversy.

This incident is not the only time Griner vocalized her frustrations this season. Following another game, she stormed off mid-interview, yelling at the referees to “be f—ing better.