Brittney Griner Joins Distraught WNBA Community to Give Cathy Engelbert’s Downside a Scathing Reality Check

In basketball, momentum can shift in an instant—like a fast break turning into a game-changing dunk. Similarly, Unrivaled, the new offseason league is rapidly changing the game for women’s basketball. With its innovative approach, the league is creating waves, leaving fans and critics questioning the leadership of Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA itself. As Unrivaled prepares to tip off on 17 January 2025, its rapid rise is sparking debates across the basketball world. But the question remains: Can the WNBA keep up, or is it about to get left behind? Brittney Griner, one of the most powerful voices in the WNBA, recently weighed in on the question.

She joined the growing chorus of players and fans criticizing the current direction of the league. In a post on X, WNBA writer Myles Ehrlich shared Griner’s thoughts on the upcoming CBA negotiations: “Unrivaled is showing that you don’t need a lot of time to pool resources together. Being happy with what we already have is not gonna fly [here]… it’ll definitely put pressure on [the W] to do better.”

Griner’s words highlight a pivotal moment in women’s basketball—a turning point where players are taking matters into their own hands, demanding better pay, visibility, and overall conditions for themselves. Unrivaled’s rapid success is undoubtedly pushing the WNBA to reconsider its strategies.

Griner puts pressure on the WNBA: Will Unrivaled force change in women’s basketball?

For years, the WNBA’s model has been slow to evolve, which has led to a steep decline in its viewership that in turn led players to seek better opportunities overseas during the offseason. This also led to the incarceration of several players like Griner who is a 6x WNBA all-star and calls by multiple athletes like Shaquille O’Neal to bring innovations to the WNBA just to increase its viewership.

Yet, despite the pressing need for transformation, the WNBA’s trajectory seemed to shift only after Caitlin Clark’s debut, which exceeded expectations and boosted viewership. While this was a step in the right direction, the pace of innovation appeared to stall. Enter Unrivaled, a league that’s rewriting the playbook with its cutting-edge 3-on-3 format, featuring elite talents like Griner, Jewell Loyd, and Sabrina Ionescu.

via Reuters

With a massive payout pool exceeding $8 million and guaranteed six-figure salaries, Unrivaled has turned heads in the basketball world. Fans are rallying behind the new league, and many are starting to question the WNBA’s slow, incremental growth.

As one fan bluntly posted on X, “Unrivaled putting Cathy & the W to shame. Like girl, fight back at least.” These calls for change are growing louder as the WNBA faces pressure from its own players and upstart leagues demanding more progressive reforms.

As Unrivaled’s inaugural season tips off in January 2025, all eyes will be on how it stacks up against the WNBA. The pressure is mounting on Engelbert and the WNBA to step up their game. In basketball, the best defense is a strong offense—and right now, the ball is firmly in their court. Will the WNBA rise to the challenge, or will it continue to be outpaced by leagues that are unafraid to take risks and innovate? Only time will tell.