WNBA’s Cathy Engelbert – Alyssa Thomas drama overshadows Commissioner’s Cup classic originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Commissioner’s Cup has been won, but Cathy Engelbert’s WNBA has lost in the process.
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Tuesday night’s back-and-forth showdown between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty ended with the Liberty winning the Cup for the second time in three seasons. New York blew a 17-point lead, but clutch shots down the stretch from Sabrina Ionescu (26 points) and Breanna Stewart (25 points/11 rebounds) saw the Liberty secure a 93-85 win over the shorthanded Aces; Las Vegas played without superstar A’ja Wilson after she rolled her right ankle in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Sky.
MORE: How long A’ja Wilson will be out for Aces with ankle injury
But the Commissioner’s Cup classic was overshadowed by explosive statements made earlier in the day by the Phoenix Mercury‘s All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas.
Thomas had been retroactively suspended one game by the WNBA after an incident involving her closed fist and Caitlin Clark’s throat. Debate raged online not only as to whether Thomas meant to inflict injury on the Indiana Fever star, but also as to whether Clark needs to leave the WNBA amid allegations of poor treatment from other players and the league office.
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Thomas and the Mercury though insisted that the player who has been treated worst of all was Thomas herself.
“We’re so concerned about safety on the court, but time and time again we’re having people threatening our lives, leaking addresses out there,” Thomas told reporters Wednesday, as she revealed she had received death threats following the Clark controversy. “Time and time again, the players are going through this, and the league remains silent.”
Thomas even said that Engelbert, the WNBA’s embattled commissioner, did not reach out to her to offer support in spite of the death threats — though it is well worth noting that additional reporting clarified a text conversation did take place between Thomas and Engelbert last week.
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Even still, Engelbert was showered with boos at Barclays Center as soon as she took the microphone to award the Commissioner’s Cup to the victorious Liberty.
Engelbert’s leadership of the WNBA has come under heavy scrutiny in the past year amid tense, protracted collective bargaining negotiations that threatened part of the 2026 season. But criticism of Engelbert is hardly new or limited just to the past 12 months.
Fans, media and even players have criticized Engelbert and the league office for inconsistencies with respect to player safety and treatment. They’ve accused Engelbert of lacking the requisite people skills to run the ever-growing league, where franchises now are worth more than ever amid growing expansion.
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It was only nine months ago that Napheesa Collier, the Minnesota Lynx star and one of the top-ranking WNBPA executive committee members, blasted Engelbert’s WNBA stewardship as “the worst leadership in the world.” It doesn’t appear that her statement materially changed much, if this latest controversy is any indication.
