Host Says WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Canceled Interview As Caitlin Clark Controversy Heats Up
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has canceled an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show,” the host announced during her show Friday. Both Engelbert and Patrick are in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Nevada.
Patrick said the interview was scheduled for Thursday, but said the WNBA’s public relations team instructed Engelbert to cancel.
“We waited for him for almost two hours. This was planned.” Patrick said. “He was going to have a meeting in his hotel room, a conference call, and then he came to join us… We are standing by, waiting to talk to him.”
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Patrick added that he intends to ask questions about Caitlin Clark, and other topics including WNBA expansion.
“Then we got a report… that the commissioner said the WNBA staff, the PR staff, said he’s not allowed to do this. They’d rather he not do this,” Patrick said.
Patrick criticized Engelbert’s handling of the interview.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks before the WNBA basketball draft in New York on April 13, 2026. (Pamela Smith/AP)
“You are the commissioner, and you listen to the PR department, that’s right. But did you check the PR before you said yes? We raised it all day yesterday,” he said.
“It was his turn to finally say, ‘hey, you can ask me the tough questions.’ I thought this would be a good thing for the WNBA because people are still looking for answers here. There are too many people with opinions, agendas here, and this was an opportunity to sit down. And yes, can the questions be difficult? Yes, yes. And I’m sure that had something to do with it… So, it’s just disappointing.
“If you want to be treated like a serious group, this is what happens! These are tough questions, but this is the right way for you – a fair stage. I will treat you with respect.”
Patrick even said that Engelbert was golfing 50 yards away from him, when he was doing Friday’s show, as his feed showed footage of the commissioner driving the ball.
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Patrick previously said on his show that after Clark was hit in the throat by Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas, his producers contacted the WNBA for a statement on June 25 and never received a response.
Patrick publicly criticized the department for this lack of communication on June 26, 2026, saying the silence allowed the situation to “get out of control.”
Engelbert has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks after Clark’s throat punch, as the referees didn’t call it a foul in real time.
While Thomas was suspended for one game after the game was reviewed and promoted to No. 1, the league has not publicly addressed the Clark incident, or the growing history of questionable contact with the star since entering the league in 2024.
Instead, the WNBA issued a statement defending Thomas after she allegedly received criticism online.
“The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority. We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates experienced was completely unacceptable and unrepresentative of the WNBA community. Our security department and team have been in constant communication with the Phoenix Mercury organization and are committed to protecting all players,” the statement read.
Clark then finished 11th in the peer-voted portion of the 2026 WNBA All-Star voting, despite ranking in the league’s top five in both points and assists. This sparked a lot of controversy, with WNBA legend Candace Parker criticizing the players for disrespecting Clark.
“When I sat down, as much as I didn’t like Diana Taurasi, there’s no way I wasn’t going to draft her as an All-Star,” Parker said. “As much as I didn’t like anybody on the Lynx because they used to whip a-, I wouldn’t put Maya Moore or Sylvia Fowles. I think people need to look in the mirror and realize, like, man, you have a lot of insecurities when you sit down and put Caitlin Clark as the best guard of the eleven.”
The dispute reached a climax last week when it reached Capitol Hill.
Eleven Republican lawmakers recently sent a letter to Commissioner Engelbert. They want to take responsibility for the physical hostility directed at Clark. They even suggested that government agencies such as the Department of Justice investigate the unit for creating a hostile work environment.
Indiana Fever quickly distanced itself from political intervention. The team issued a statement confirming that they had no prior knowledge of the letter. Fever head coach Stephanie White then flatly refused to get involved in the topic when asked about it by Fox News Digital at a pre-game press conference on Thursday.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, left, takes a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, right, after being selected first by the Indiana Fever in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
“That’s not something we can control,” White said.
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“We have nothing to do with those groups. We try to keep the main thing and focus on the things we can’t control.”
