A’ja Wilson Joining Fans to Boo WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Goes Viral

A'ja Wilson and the WNBA players have been negotiation their next CBA with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

A’ja Wilson Joining Fans to Boo WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Goes Viral

A'ja Wilson and Cathy Engelbert (Image via FirstSportz)

While A’ja Wilson and her Las Vegas Aces were battling for the 2025 WNBA title, her peers were discussing the contents of the next CBA with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The latter has been at odds with the players, fending off any attempts to ask for an increase in revenue share. Wilson and her peers took a stance against that when they wore ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’ t-shirts before the 2025 All-Star game.

At the time, Indiana Fever fans supported the players by chanting ‘Pay Them’, when Engelbert was on the court. Since then, the conversations have been around what the players want and what the league is willing to give.

A few months later, not much was being discussed as players hoped the commissioner would listen to them. Then when officiating did not seem to improve, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier exposed Cathy Engelbert’s stance against players.

The league went on the defensive, and the commissioner tried to deflect those accusations. But it seems fans have been observing, as their reaction after the 2025 WNBA Finals suggested they were not appreciative of Engelbert.

When ESPN’s Holly Rowe handed the commissioner the microphone, fans inside Mortgage Matchup Center booed unanimously to express their feelings about Cathy Engelbert.

Behind her were the victorious Las Vegas Aces players, and some of them were shaking their heads. Except A’ja Wilson, who seemingly booed once, and then stopped to realize the Mercury fans were not booing her team, rather they were booing the commissioner.

A’ja Wilson burst out laughing at reporters question about fans booing Cathy Engelbert

Cathy Engelbert stood there facing the boos until the microphone was handed back to Holly Rowe. It was evident that the fans in the arena were not appreciative of the way the WNBA’s commissioner has handled her relationship with players.

Las Vegas Aces with their 2025 WNBA title
Las Vegas Aces with their 2025 WNBA title (Image via WNBA/X)

In this stance against the league, players and fans seem united. Earlier this week, A’ja Wilson was one of those who supported Napheesa Collier’s allegations.

When the newly crowned 2025 WNBA champion was at the press conference, reporters started asking about the boos Cathy Engelbert faced. Hearing this question, a drunk Wilson started laughing hysterically.

Her teammates and head coach tried their best not to follow the league’s best player’s reaction, with Jewell Loyd covering her mouth to avoid getting caught in the act.

It seems the situation has become a comical matter for players, as they know the latest CBA negotiations went dead hours before the Aces battled the Phoenix Mercury.

Cathy Engelbert and WNBA not willing to offer A’ja Wilson and other stars $1 million salaries

Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA players union have a deadline by which they have to sign the next CBA. Considering how the discussions went in their latest meeting before Game 4 of the Finals, it seems the October 31st deadline will pass.

As per Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, the league is not willing to give top players such as A’ja Wilson, a salary of $1 million. In fact, the amount is much lower.

According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of negotiations, the WNBA’s latest proposal does not include a supermax salary at or exceeding $1 million in the first year of the deal. The league’s proposal, according to those sources, includes a supermax salary closer to $850,000 and a veteran minimum hovering around $300,000 in the first year of the proposal.

Annie Costabile remarked

The league has also not agreed to a revenue sharing model larger than the one in the current CBA. The union is demanding that top players breach the $1 million threshold, as do minimum contracts that are extremely low at the moment.

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