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Breanna Stewart and WNBA players rip Cathy Engelbert for not denouncing Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese fan toxicity

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For The Win (usatoday.com) 

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert missed a massive opportunity to address the issues permeating the league’s circles head-on — by a mile.

Earlier this week, Engelbert was asked to speak about how race and sexuality have been introduced into conversations surrounding two of the league’s prominent players — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — and how she would stay ahead of it and keep a lid on the unhinged and dark rhetoric from fans.

Engelbert didn’t answer the question as most assumed she would have — denouncing any hate, racism, sexism, etc. — and instead leaned into the Caitlin-Angel “rivalry” and mentioned how it was good for fans and business. Here’s a clip of that conversation:

Engelbert’s gaffe was immediately evident, and when New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart was asked about it, she didn’t hold back.

Per Lucas Kaplan of SB Nation, here’s a portion of what she told the media Tuesday:

“There’s no place for that in our sport, and I think that’s really it…we want our sport to be inclusive for race, gender and really a place where people can be themselves.”

“We wished, obviously, Cathy would use her platform in a different way and have made that a little bit better…telling the fans…enough is enough.”

“Become a fan of our sport, and for the new ones, lock in on everybody. But don’t be disrespectful because as a league, like, we stick together, and there’s no place for that.”

But Stewart wasn’t the only prominent figure or entity to react to the commissioner’s statement and the backlash.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and several players across the league, including Angel Reese, did.

Engelbert later released a statement about her viral segment to clarify her comments.

However, Engelbert’s update didn’t sit well with fans, and they immediately ripped her for it, too.