Scott Van Pelt believes WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert will be under a microscope the next time she speaks publicly.

The ESPN late-night “SportsCenter” anchor commented on the increasingly combative conversation related to the end of the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement with its players’ association.

In her exit interview earlier this week, players’ association vice president Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx relayed a conversation she had with Engelbert in which Engelbert purportedly said the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark owes her off-the-court income to the exposure she receives from the league.

Van Pelt’s response? “Preposterous.”

“Did you miss the Iowa years? Clark is the Tiger Woods tide that lifts all boats,” Van Pelt said. “And we know this show is proof. The highest rating we have ever had followed one of her games at Iowa.

“The WNBA has benefitted more from her presence than the other way around, even though this season for Caitlin Clark was essentially lost to injury.”

Clark played in 13 games, shutting it down for good after suffering a groin injury in mid July.

Van Pelt noted the WNBA is “at a flashpoint,” with more expansion on the way, a lucrative media rights deal beginning in 2026 and franchise values increasing. The players are seeking an increased share of that pie in negotiations for a new CBA.

“This was a whole lot more than just a shot across the bow. The WNBA Finals begin this Friday,” Van Pelt said. “Cathy Engelbert has got to do more than say she’s disheartened in a press release. The commissioner needs to explain how it is that a player, such as Napheesa Collier, could come to feel this way, and seemingly be speaking for all of her peers.

“I admire that Collier had the temerity to say what she did. The failure to respond directly would be making another statement entirely.”

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