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Jemele Hill is urging the WNBA to make a leadership change.
The longtime ESPN star, who has since gone out on her own, is calling on the WNBA to make a leadership change, in the wake of the ongoing PR controversies with Caitlin Clark and commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
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This week, Engelbert was scheduled to appear on “The Dan Patrick Show.” However, at the last second, she bailed on the interview.
“If you want to be treated as a serious league, this is what happens! These are tough questions, but this is a fair outlet for you – a fair platform. I will treat you with respect,” Patrick said.
Engelbert rightfully received a ton of criticism for the decision. It’s weak, short-sighted and just lame.
As Patrick said, if the WNBA wants to be taken as a serious league, tough interviews with the media are part of that.
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But the WNBA’s commissioner, along with some of their players, seem to think that it’s OK to just avoid those.
Jemele Hill calls on WNBA to make leadership change
Hill believes that Engelbert is weak and not built for the moment. She thinks the WNBA would be better off with someone else.
“He’s 100 percent right. When Cathy Engelbert used gender as cover when she was asked difficult questions, it came off as small. As commissioner, she’s supposed to set the tone for the league. I don’t think she’s built for the moment the W is in. She should be out front on this and she isn’t. Weak statements aren’t going to cut it,” she wrote.
Hill isn’t wrong.
The WNBA has received a ton of attention over the past couple of years, but every time there has been controversy, the league has folded.
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Something needs to change in a big way.
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This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 1:30 PM.