Jemele Hill Wins Over Fans With Criticism Of WNBA's Commissioner

Former ESPN broadcaster Jemele Hill may have won over the WNBA community on Monday night with her comment about league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Engelbert, who has been the league's commissioner since 2019, handled questions from the media prior to the 2026 WNBA Draft. Although a collective bargaining agreement has been secured for the foreseeable future, Engelbert was asked if she feels secure about her future.

Clearly, Engelbert wasn't thrilled that her job status was a popular topic on Monday night. She responded by asking the reporter if they'd fire off the same question at a male commissioner.

"I do crack up how everybody's focused on me, and you should be focused on the hundreds of amazing women and thousands of women who run this league outside of myself. I appreciate that you're focused on me as well," Engelbert said. "I wonder if you would ask that of a man, by the way, but I realize as women we get asked different questions than men do."

Hill couldn't help but rip Engelbert on social media. She replied, "If a man had her track record, absolutely." That comment received a ton of praise from sports fans around the country.

"Jemele and me are tweeting in agreement… in the business we call that a consensus. Wrap it up, WNBA commissioner lady," one fan commented. "It's over."

"Wait do I agree with Jemele," a second fan wrote.

"This might be the first sane Jemele tweet... EVER?" another fan said.

Engelbert couldn't be more wrong.

If we rewind back to October 2025, NBA fans were calling for Adam Silver to resign. This was after Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested for gambling.

"Sportsbooks in multiple states flagged suspicious betting interest on Rozier's statistics ahead of a Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans game on March 23, 2023," ESPN insider Shams Charania wrote. "An unexpected surge of bets - including 30 wagers in 46 minutes from a professional bettor totaling $13,759 - came in on the under on Rozier's points, rebounds and assists, causing sportsbooks to halt betting on the veteran guard. Rozier, then with the Hornets, played just 10 minutes before leaving the game, citing a foot injury."

Silver has faced plenty of pressure from basketball fans over the years and has even been accused of ruining the league.

We also can't forget that MLB fans constantly rip Rob Manfred every chance they get.

So no, Engelbert isn't the only sports commissioner facing backlash this year.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 9:28 AM.