WNBA All-Star weekend is in the books. On a weekend in which the league celebrated its 30th season, it saw Team Spoon defeat Team Coop 129-122 in the game played at Chicago’s United Center on Saturday night.
We also witnessed rookie and 2026 No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd and win the 3-point shootout, becoming the first rookie to do so. But with the dust settled on a great weekend in the Windy City there are some other questions that need answers, one being the lack of Black coaches in the league and the other being the job security of current commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Engelbert Dodges Certain Questions
When asked about the lack of Black coaches (two in total but none being women) Engelbert did her best to pull stats such as the league has “60 % women coaches total,” but she still didn’t address the elephant in the room as it pertains to Black women coaches in a league that 64% of its players identify as Black or African-American.
She instead attempted to downplay that very thing by bringing up that the league has two women coaches of color in Natalie Nakase (Golden State) and Sonia Raman (Seattle).
Engelbert’s approach drew the ire of fans who called her out via social media.
“Dodged the question and just said a bunch of words,” a fan said.
In response to questions about her job security Engelbert was pretty much the same way, leaving fans continuing to question if she’s the right person to lead a league that’s growing leaps and bounds daily.
Paige Bueckers Called It Out Recently
During a recent new conference, the Dallas Wings star responded to a question about the lack of Black women coaches in the league.
“I think Black women — specifically, I grew up with a lot of prominent Black women in my life that were very important to me in how I was raised and how I grew up, being my stepmom, my AAU coach,” said Bueckers, who is white. “So I understand how amazing they are and how they should get the same equal opportunity as a white woman, as a white man to be an important piece of this league.
“It was built on a lot of Black women — this league was — so it’s definitely right for them to get the same equal opportunity as everyone else,” Bueckers added.
Engelbert Has Frayed Relationship With Players
It’s no secret that Engelbert’s relationship with players and fans isn’t good, as evidenced by the amount of boos she received at the conclusion of Saturday’s All-Star Game. Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier (WNBPA VP) has been vocal about her disdain for Engelbert’s leadership. Las Vegas Aces superstar and reigning MVP and Finals MVP A’ja Wilson didn’t mince words when asked about the league’s top voice saying this.
“My only relationship with Cathy is when she hands me awards, which is great,” Wilson explained on Saturday. “I love to see her in that light. But I think when it comes to leadership, I’m always big on bonds. I’m always big on connection on a deeper level.”
“And I think that’s what we all try to look for when it comes to a leader, when we’re on our teams, when we’re coming to the business table. It’s a partnership, and it should go hand in hand.”
“Obviously, I love to have great leadership, but it’s really us. We’re the true leaders,” Wilson added.
“This league goes the way that we go. So we can continue to show up and be the great product that we are. That’s kind of how we’re gonna continue to grow the game.”
