However, in an interview on "60 Minutes," Engelbert dismissed these claims, stating that the league's popularity is due to a variety of stars, including Reese and other high-profile rookies.
"She's clearly an unbelievable player," Engelbert said of Clark. "Came in with an unbelievable following, has brought a lot of new fans to the league. If you look at our historic season in terms of our attendance, viewership - Caitlin, Angel Reese, too, Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink. This class of rookies, we will be talking about them a generation from now," reports the Mirror US .
When questioned about why she highlighted other rookies alongside Clark and Reese, Engelbert explained that the WNBA's success relies on the achievements of multiple stars. She intentionally included other newcomers to illustrate this point.
"No league is ever about one player," Engelbert said. "That one player could get hurt, or whatever. So I think it's just to give recognition that in sports, people watch for compelling content and rivalries, and you can't do that alone as one person."
Engelbert firmly believes that rivalries drive the WNBA's growth, but this stance has sparked controversy. In early September, she was asked about the racial divide between Clark and Reese's fanbases, which could lead to toxic tensions among fans.
However, Engelbert sidestepped the issue, focusing instead on the profitability of the Clark-Reese rivalry. Her decision not to address the racial tensions was met with criticism from the Women's National Basketball Player's Association (WNBPA), which released a statement condemning the commissioner's lack of response.
The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) was clear in its statement that the league will not tolerate any form of racist or sexist abuse from fans, underscoring that such toxic behavior requires immediate action. Following the stance, voices throughout the league have highlighted the rise in negative incidents from fans, notably some from Indiana Fever's fanbase, who have subjected star players to racist, sexist, and misogynistic harassment.
Stars like New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have put forward ways in which the league might combat these attacks on its players. Brittney Griner of Phoenix Mercury has also weighed in, stressing the urgency for the league to tackle these comments swiftly so the players can focus on the game.
Christie Sides, Clark's coach, emotionally addressed the racial abuse directed at her players and others within the league via social media platforms. The young player Kiana Clark herself took a stand against those who misuse her identity to further a racist narrative aimed at other league talents.
"Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments, and threats," said Clark, aged 22. "Those aren't fans. Those are trolls, and it's a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the WNBA."
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if course she said this she is just another alabaster tone person who doesn't want to deal with a predominantly black League not All but 75 percent and she doesn't want backlash or called racist for speaking the truth about what she's thinking
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