WNBA commissioner says outsiders are using the league to stir conflict

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said on Thursday that outside critics are using the league to fuel division, arguing that some people who attack it have never watched a game. Her comments came as the WNBA continues to sit at the center of wider cultural debate in the United States.

Engelbert described the league as being treated like a political issue by people with no real connection to it, according to ESPN. She said the attention has less to do with basketball than with attempts to create conflict around the sport.

The remarks add to a growing pattern in which women’s basketball has become part of broader arguments beyond the court. Engelbert’s comments reflect the league’s increasing visibility as its profile rises and public discussion around it intensifies.