The WNBA has every reason to be thriving at the moment, and in some ways, it is.
The talent pool is strong, with collegiate stars Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and more going head-to-head with standout veterans. The league has a historic rookie in Minnesota’s Olivia Miles, and Aces star A’ja Wilson is making the case that she is the most dominant player of all-time as she takes aim at another MVP award.
Headlines that often have little to do with basketball have dominated the conversation around the league, however. Some of that is by design, as many players are outwardly political, but what’s rubbing some fans the wrong way goes well beyond that.
All that’s holding back the WNBA at this point might be the WNBA itself.
Here’s a look at the times the WNBA became its own worst enemy over the last year.
MORE WNBA ALL-STAR GAME:
WNBA controversially suspends Sandy Brondello
The WNBA set an unusual standard when it suspended Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello one game for calling a “protected species” while talking to her team during a timeout.
“Protected species” is a common figure of speech in Australia, where Brondello is from, referring to someone or something as receiving preferential treatment. In this case, Brondello was accusing officials of giving Reese preferential treatment, but Reese and some other players interpreted it as a racially charged comment.
“I made a comment that Australians, we say all the time,” Brondello said.
Reese called Brondello out on social media and said she was “grateful” that the league suspended her. At no point did Reese acknowledge that the comment might have been misinterpreted.
Tempo center Temi Fagbenle defended her coach in a Threads post, calling the suspension “laughable.”
“Protected species’ is a figure of speech and I see nothing suspension-worthy with what @brondellosandy said,” Fagbenle said.
Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
WNBA snubs Caitlin Clark, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi from 30th anniversary poster
The WNBA received heavy backlash for its official 30th anniversary poster, which excluded Caitlin Clark along with legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
Bring a piece of WNBA history home. 🏀
Celebrate 30 years of the W with this commemorative anniversary poster. WinCraft’s poster is available now!
Tap the link to shop:https://t.co/LQklJBTHgM #WNBALegacyTrail pic.twitter.com/KqUysMf6gk
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 24, 2026
Darren Rovell reported WinCraft, which created the poster, did not have the rights to use Clark’s image due to her Nike deal, though the WNBA never addressed the criticism.
MORE: Why Caitlin Clark declined 3-point contest invitation
Wings block reporters from asking about Azzi Fudd-Paige Bueckers relationship
The Wings using the No. 1 pick on Azzi Fudd, who is in a relationship with Dallas teammate Paige Bueckers, opened the door for numerous questions. Was their connection a factor in the selection? How would Fudd and Bueckers balance their relationship with their professional obligations? Would the locker room be impacted if the two broke up?
Dallas instead shut that door immediately. When Fudd was asked at her introductory press conference whether she had talked to other WNBA couples about how to navigate that dynamic, the Wings’ PR team stepped in and said, “I understand why you have to ask that question, but we’re going to respectfully decline from comments on our players’ personal lives.”
A reporter asked Azzi Fudd about her relationship with Paige Bueckers, but the Wings’ media team said they won’t be commenting on their players’ personal lives. pic.twitter.com/iH3enGfoVE
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 16, 2026
Perhaps the reaction would have been different if Fudd herself declined to comment, but the outright dismissal of their relationship as a basketball story led to major backlash from the media and some fans.
Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
Uneven officiating frustrates players, coaches
The WNBA set out to overhaul officiating after the 2025 season, but 2026 has brought more questions than answers about the referees.
“What I’m confused about, being on the task force, we talked about unnecessary physicality. We didn’t say we want to call marginal fouls,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters in May. “We never brought that up,”
Liberty star Breanna Stewart said the number of fouls called after the changes is “insane” and “disrupts everyone’s flow.”
Azzi Fudd, meanwhile, complained about the changes just after making her WNBA debut.
“I thought you could be physical in the W and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul,” Fudd told reporters. “So I’m not really sure whether to be physical, whether to — I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out.”
More recently, Caitlin Clark took issue with what wasn’t being called by officials, getting in a referee’s face and blasting the officiating after a game against the Valkyries.
“I get kneed right in the quad. That hurts. The ref can’t miss that,” Clark told reporters. “And then I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game. It’s ridiculous.”
Caitlin Clark appeared to be limping after what she believed should have been called a foul.
After a no-call and visibly upset, Clark was issued a warning by the referee. pic.twitter.com/5xor2qqeOd
— espnW (@espnW) July 16, 2026
Speculation that Clark was being targeted by officials even caught the attention of Congress, as 11 Republican lawmakers authored a letter to the WNBA threatening to investigate whether there is “discrimination or retaliation” being committed against Clark.
“As Commissioner, you have an obligation to ensure that every player competes in a safe and professional environment, both on and off the court, free from violence, discrimination, or retaliation,” the letter said. “If discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, we support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
Every league deals with officiating criticism in some form, but the WNBA can’t seem to strike the right balance just yet.
MORE: Brianna Turner alleges Fever quietly fired staffer for sexual harassment
Adam Silver allegedly intervenes to suspend Alyssa Thomas
After Mercury star Alyssa Thomas got away with striking Caitlin Clark in the throat during a game, avoiding a foul call, Sports Business Journal reported NBA commissioner Adam Silver “implored” Engelbert to suspend Thomas for one game.
The WNBA announces Alyssa Thomas has received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension as a result of this play on Caitlin Clark.pic.twitter.com/qjIlSHMX36
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 25, 2026
The report claims the WNBA believed suspending Thomas was too harsh because no call was made on the floor, but she ultimately was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and an automatic one-game ban.
Asked in July whether the report was true, Silver declined to comment.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Cathy Engelbert snubs Dan Patrick interview
After agreeing to do an interview with radio host Dan Patrick, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert did not show up and later backed out of the conversation.
“We waited, and we waited, and we waited, and then Todd got word that the commissioner said the WNBA PR staff said she is not allowed to do this,” Patrick said. “You’re the commissioner, and you’re listening to the PR department, which is fine, but did you check with PR before you said yes to us?”
Dan Patrick on WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert cancelling her appearance on the show:
“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.” pic.twitter.com/15VOBZIxAd
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 10, 2026
Patrick had been promoting the interview and was not told he couldn’t ask certain questions, so the conversation was expected to be a significant test for Engelbert. Instead, her no-show gave the league another negative headline at a time when criticism was already swirling around the commissioner.
MORE: WNBA All-Star Game prize money
Sophie Cunningham’s controversial transgender athlete comments
Many WNBA players are outspoken about political and social issues, but Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham went against the grain with recent comments against transgender women who were born as biological men playing women’s sports.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” Cunningham told ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Asked by reporters about those comments and the backlash they received, Cunningham doubled down.
“I said what I said. I think it’s really important to protect children,” Cunningham said, adding that she believes there are “rights to be protected.”
Those comments upset many fans and some players as well, but the Fever stood by Cunningham’s right to expression.
“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” the Fever said in a statement. “We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
All-Star voting confuses fans, players
Whether fair or not, there is a perception among a segment of fans that some WNBA players are out to get Caitlin Clark. That perception only increased when she finished 11th among guards in the player vote for the 2026 All-Star Game.
While Clark was ranked in the top three by both the fans and media, an 11th-place finish was a major surprise for a player who was averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists per game at the time.
There is a case to be made that Clark wasn’t a top-three guard due to time missed with injury and some inefficient performances, but something doesn’t look quite right when a player voted as the 11th-best guard by the players is also second out of all players in fan voting.
While Clark didn’t react strongly to the snub, Fever star Angel Reese had her own gripe with the voting. Frustrated that the Dream didn’t have any players selected to start despite having one of the East’s best records, Reese called the results a “slap in the face,” adding, “I expect to be disrespected.”
Reese and teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray were all named to the All-Star rosters as reserves.
Fever mishandle Caitlin Clark injury report
In an era of rampant sports betting, leagues have to maintain some level of trust by maintaining accurate injury reports. When the Fever ruled out Caitlin Clark mere hours before a game in May after not listing her on the injury report, fans were confused — as was the league itself. The WNBA issued a warning to the Fever that another violation would lead to consequences.
Fever coach Stephanie White defended the decision not to place Clark on the injury report, but she also said Clark woke up that day with back stiffness and didn’t practice the day before. Despite that, she was never placed on the injury report.
“Not everybody that doesn’t practice or gets a pro day is on the injury report,” White told reporters. “That happens all the time. And she wasn’t listed on the injury report earlier because we expected her to play.”
.jpg.webp "Team Collier WNBA All-Star Game 2025")
Teams refuse to host All-Star Game
The WNBA has plenty of star power at the moment, but the league has had a hard time convincing teams to showcase it. Front Office Sports reported the Chicago Sky were the only team to bid for the 2026 All-Star Game, adding that the league actually had to recruit the Fever to host the festivities in 2025.
The optics of a league struggling to find even one team to host what should be a basketball celebration are less than ideal, and it’s not a problem most other American leagues have had, at least by all public indications.
Cathy Engelbert criticized for gender comment
Asked in April by a female reporter how long she anticipated remaining WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert responded by asking the reporter if she would pose that question to a man.
“I do crack up how everybody’s focused on me, and you should be focused on the thousands of women who run this league, outside of myself,” Engelbert said. “Our women owners, board of governors, GMs, and head coaches, and my whole team of diverse women and men who are working hard to get our 30th season tipped off by May 8. But I appreciate that you’re focused on me as well, I wonder if you would ask this of a man, by the way. We get asked different questions than men do.”
The response drew criticism from fans and media members, including The Athletic’s Annie Costabile, who accused Engelbert of trying to avoid answering what a largely ordinary question was.
Objectively speaking, not only is Cathy wrong—this would be asked of a man and has—but her response was a failed attempt at diverting from the discussions about her job security. pic.twitter.com/WJ3yAWZAKE
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) April 14, 2026
A month earlier, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about Engelbert’s future and was noncommittal, simply saying the league hadn’t had those discussions with the WNBA board yet.