ESPN were forced to censor a fan gesture made towards WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The crowd inside the PHX Arena greeted Engelbert with a hostile reception after the Las Vegas beat Phoenix Mercury to secure the WNBA title.
NINTCHDBPICT001030621058Cathy Engelbert was subject to a rude gesture at the WNBA finalsCredit: ESPN
 
2025 WNBA Finals - Game FourThe Las Vegas Aces beat Phoenix Mercury to win the WNBA ChampionshipCredit: Getty
The commissioner was welcomed to court to present the trophy to Aces head coach Mark Davies.

But as she took the ESPN mic and cameras centered on her, Engelbert was roundly booed.

There were also plenty of jeers as fans tried to drown out what she was saying.

One fan seated behind Engelbert also threw up his middle fingers, forcing ESPN to censure what was happening.

The screen blacked out but not quickly enough to prevent some eagle-eyed fans spotting the gesture.

Commissioners being booed has become a time honored tradition.

But Engelbert may have drawn the ire of fans following claims she made a disparaging comment about WNBA Caitlin Clark.

Engelbert, 60, landed herself in hot water after some fiery comments made by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier.

Collier, 29, claimed the commissioner once told her Clark, 23, should be showing more gratitude to the WNBA for securing her multiple sponsorship deals.

Caitlin Clark robbed of another unanimous WNBA honor

However, the basketball chief insists that was a gross “inaccuracy” that left her “disheartened”.

Engelbert said at her annual news conference ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday: “I did not make those comments.

“There is a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all of this reporting.

“I highly respect the players. There is a lot of emotion and passion going on right now between collective bargaining. I am obviously disheartened.”

Engelbert received some scathing criticism from other players as well, such as Clark’s team-mate Sophie Cunningham and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.

But the WNBA chief insists she will keep working hard to repair any “loss of trust” as she has immense respect for the players.

Engelbert added: “[Players] Are at the center of everything we do. I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and me personally don’t care about them or listen to them.

“If the players in the ‘W’ don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better, and I have to do better.

“I feel confident that we can repair any loss of trust. I will do everything I can to change that.

“No one should ever doubt how deeply I care about this league, this game, and every single player who makes up what the WNBA is.”