Breanna Stewart 'Disappointed' in WNBA Commissioner's Comments in CNBC Interview

New York Liberty star and two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart wasn't pleased with the comments made by commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a recent interview.

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Breanna Stewart would have liked to see WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert do a little bit more with her platform when talking about the social media vitriol that has developed between fans of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. The New York Liberty star and two-time league MVP says she was disappointed to hear the commissioner's response.

In a recent CNBC interview, Engelbert was asked about how things have taken a "darker" turn among fans of Clark and Reese on social media. Many thought the commissioner sidestepped the question, including Stewart.

Following New York's 105-91 win over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, Stewart was asked for her thoughts on Engelbert's comments.

"To be honest, I saw the interview today, and have been in talks with (executive director) Terri (Jackson) at the WNBPA," Stewart said. "I think that it's kind of disappointing to hear because the way that the fans have surged, especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing, like, a race aspect, to a different level.

"And you know, there's no place for that in our sport. I think that's really what it is. We want our sport to be inclusive for race, for gender, and really a place where people can be themselves. So we wish, obviously, Cathy would have used her platform in a different way, and have made that a little bit better, kind of just 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, we stick together, and there's no place for that."

Engelbert's comments on CNBC

Engelbert made an appearance on CNBC's Power Lunch show earlier this week to talk about the growing popularity of the WNBA. During the program, anchor Tyler Mathisen asked Engelbert a question regarding the "dark" turn the rivalry has taken amongst fans on social meda.

"Now it seems, on some social media channels, to have taken a darker turn. A more menacing turn," Mathisen asked. "Where race has been introduced in the conversation, where sexuality is sometimes introduced into the conversation.

"How do you try and stay ahead of that... or act as a league when two of your most visible players are involved — not personally, it would seem, but their fanbases are involved — in saying some very uncharitable things about the other?"

Many felt Engelbert avoided the question in her response.

"Well the one thing that's great about the league right now, we do sit at this intersection of culture, and sports, and fashion, and music. Like, the WNBA players are really looked at now as kind of cultural icons," Engelbert said.

"And when you have that, you have a lot of attention on you. There's no more apathy. Everybody cares. It is a little bit of that (Larry) Bird-Magic (Johnson) moment if you recall, from 1979. When those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one black. And so we have that moment with these two.

"But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That's what makes people watch, They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."