NBA commissioner addresses WNBA's "relationship issues"

Ankles of steel.

NBA faces scrutiny as players blast WNBA leadership

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was in the hot seat this week, addressing the growing rift between WNBA players and commissioner Cathy Engelbert while urging the league to come together on a new CBA agreement.

• “Cathy Engelbert has presided over historic growth in the league, but there’s no question that there’s issues that we need to address with our players, not just economic," Silver said on Monday, acknowledging the NBA’s significant power over WNBA operations. “I’m confident we can fix those over time and this league can continue to be on the rocket trajectory that it’s on right now."

Big picture: Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s viral exit interview blasting WNBA leadership has put pressure on Engelbert, but the NBA’s stake in the league plays into the increasingly heated collective bargaining negotiations.

• NBA team owners collectively control over 42% of the women’s league, though WNBA players receive a much smaller revenue share than than NBA players.

• Under the current CBA, the WNBA must hit certain financial benchmarks before that revenue even becomes available — with players reporting they’re not privy to the data tracking those benchmarks.

Raised voices: Big names are continuing to speak out on the issues, from Engelbert’s future to the WNBA’s precarious relationship with the NBA.

• “Cathy, yes, has done a really good job of helping raise capital, of helping administer the television deal… but you’re only able to do that because of those players,” WNBA icon Lisa Leslie said on Between the Lines. “Listen, the wolf is only as strong as the pack and the pack is only as strong as the wolf. But just know when the wolf doesn’t lead the pack properly, the pack will eat the wolf.”

• “The bigger issue is the structure of the league, NBA being the ones who essentially make the decisions, and that’s really who the Players Association is negotiating with,” said USWNT legend and Sports Are Fun! host Kelley O’Hara. “Cathy has to go back and get a sign-off from the NBA… That’s the bigger issue that Phee’s trying to get to the heart of.”

Angel City sees playoff dreams dim with Current loss

Angel City FC is on the brink of playoff elimination, sitting seven points below the postseason cutoff line after falling to 2025 Shield winners Kansas City 1-0 on Monday — with only three games left in the NWSL’s regular season.

• “There’s no more losses at this point,” Angel City captain Sarah Gorden said postgame. “It’s win or go home. We’re going to have to put that into training this week, and come out and find something in us next weekend.”

• “I know that if we can perform like this going forward, we will win a lot of football games,” manager Alexander Straus said after the hard-fought loss. (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: In a season headlined by high-profile departures, the LA club now faces their second straight season missing the playoffs, having reached the postseason just once since their 2022 debut.

• Though that sole playoff run might give this year’s squad some hope — Angel City clinched that first and only berth on the final day of the 2023 regular season.

To the victors: The spoils keep coming for Kansas City, notching an NWSL single-season record 19th win amid the club’s second-longest unbeaten run of 16 games.

• “We believe so much in the process that we know if we execute everything at some point, we are going to be successful,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Naomi Osaka finds her form at China’s Wuhan Open

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka keeps pushing, following up her blockbuster US Open return with a first-round win at this week’s Wuhan Open.

• Osaka came back to defeat former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 yesterday, just weeks after an unexpected first-round China Open exit.

• The win marked the world No. 16’s seventh come-from-behind victory this year, tying her own single-season comeback record.

The field: Osaka still has hills to climb further in the draw, as No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is set to return to action Wednesday in her first tournament since her US Open win.

• No. 2 Iga Świątek and No. 3 Coco Gauff are also on deck, with Świątek cruising through her Round of 32 hurdle in straight sets early this morning.

• China Open winner No. 4 Amanda Anisimova will sit this one out, citing a lingering calf injury.

Tune in: Coverage of the Wuhan Open continues tonight at 10 PM ET, live on The Tennis Channel.

Angel Reese becomes the new face of Juicy Couture

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is upping her brand game, with Juicy Couture tapping the two-time WNBA All-Star as its global ambassador and creative collaborator this week.

• The 23-year-old is the new face of Viva La Juicy, while also co-designing the limited-edition “Angel Couture” line spanning track suits, t-shirts, and more.

• “Juicy Couture has always been about confidence and having fun with fashion,” Reese said. “Now with Angel Couture, I wanted to bring that same energy forward with pieces that are fearless, fun, and make you feel unstoppable.”

Staked resume: With her second season in the books, Reese has continued to be active off the court, launching her own Reebok sneaker last month while also making her feature film debut in Netflix’s political thriller A House of Dynamite.

• “I’m sorry to those that feel some type of way that they can’t be fine and play basketball,” Reese recently said on her podcast Unapologetically Angel.

Get yours: The Angel Couture collection is available now via juicycouture.com.

Women’s rugby stars get the Barbie treatment

Mattel is riding the women’s rugby wave, with the toymaker celebrating October 11th’s International Day of the Girl by transforming “a coalition of four powerful role models and professional rugby players from across the globe” into Team Barbie.

• Team USA Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher headlines the group, supported by World Champion Ellie Kildunne (England), two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Champion Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (New Zealand), and Olympic silver medalist Nassira Konde (France).

• “If sharing my story can inspire other young girls to believe in themselves the way I have, then I’ll have truly made an impact,” said Maher. “Being part of Team Barbie is about showing girls that confidence isn’t something to shy away from, but something to own.”

On the rise: Women’s rugby is having a moment, with Mattel getting in on the action after England’s successful 2025 Rugby World Cup run drew record crowds and spiked global interest this summer.

Stay tuned: Mattel’s Team Barbie collection is set to hit the shelves in 2026.

Quote of the day

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier
telling former Vice President Kamala Harris what motivated her to speak out against WNBA leadership in last week’s viral exit interview.