Cathy Engelbert is facing another wave of criticism after canceling a scheduled appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” with basketball analyst James Young arguing the WNBA commissioner has run out of excuses.
Engelbert had been expected to join Patrick while attending the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, but the interview was called off late.
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Patrick said Engelbert’s PR team eventually told the show she would not appear after he and his producers had been waiting for “almost two hours.”
Young responded with one of the sharpest public attacks yet on Engelbert’s leadership.
“She needs to be fired,” Young said on SportsGrid. “Cathy Engelbert should have been ran out of this league years ago.
“She gets booed. You think Adam Silver gets booed?… They boo this lady every damn where she goes. And she continues to mess up.”
Young said the canceled interview reflected badly on the office Engelbert holds.
“What she did to Dan Patrick is so disrespectful and so beneath the office of the Commissioner,” Young added. “You hide behind your PR team.”
Engelbert faces growing pressure
The criticism comes during a difficult period for Engelbert, who has already faced scrutiny over officiating, player safety, delayed CBA negotiations, and the fallout from the Alyssa Thomas-Caitlin Clark controversy.
Young argued that Patrick’s show offered Engelbert a chance to answer those questions directly rather than avoid them.
“You got referees that don’t make enough money, you got all the players upset about what’s going on in the league, and you have a chance to go on national TV and fix it,” Young said.
“And you know what you do? You go into your damn foxhole and go into hiding.”
Engelbert has previously said she has “never been a quitter” and will not “shy away” from the challenges facing the league. That position is being tested again.
WNBA scrutiny deepens
The WNBA is growing quickly, but that has also made every leadership decision more visible.
Engelbert’s defenders can point to expansion, stronger attention, and the league’s wider commercial rise.
Her critics argue that growth has not been matched by enough transparency, consistency, or player protection.
Young’s comments won’t decide Engelbert’s future, but they show how little room she has left with some observers.
The commissioner had a chance to defend herself on a major sports platform. By backing out, she gave her harshest critics more ammunition.