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Veteran sportscaster Dan Patrick said the WNBA has turned on Caitlin Clark amid contentious collective bargaining negotiations.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier revealed that in a private conversation she had with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Engelbert said Clark should be grateful that the league gave him the platform to earn $16 million off the court.
Patrick said the WNBA needs Caitlin Clark more than she needs the WNBA.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks onto the court before a game against the Phoenix Mercury at the PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on September 2, 2025. (Rick Scuteri/Image Images)
“Are they going to make $300,000? Maybe one day, but Caitlin Clark shouldn’t be making $78,000 a year and then be grateful that she can make $16 million off the court. The WNBA needs Caitlin Clark; Caitlin Clark doesn’t need the WNBA,” Patrick said during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.”
“It feels like the WNBA has turned on Caitlin Clark. Now they’re turning to Caitlin Clark to say, ‘Hey, you know what? We need her. Hey, in this private conversation I had with the commissioner, the commissioner said Caitlin should be grateful. Everyone should take a knee over the amount of money.'”
Patrick said negotiations between the WNBA and the players are getting “dirty.”
The 69-year-old said he was “a little surprised” that Engelbert mentioned Clark in his conversation with Collier, because Clark and Collier share the same agent.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark signs autographs before Game 3 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces in Indianapolis, Sept. 26, 2025. (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)
Engelbert denied making comments about Clark at a news conference last week.
“Obviously, I didn’t make those comments. Caitlin has been a transformative player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought tens of millions of new fans to the game,” Engelbert said.
Patrick called Engelbert a brilliant woman and highlighted some of the positive things she has done.
“This commissioner has done some positive things. They have five new expansion teams coming, they got a television deal, so there are some positive things there,” Patrick said.
The pressure on Engelbert has increased as the negotiations have become more contentious.
Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, right, holds the Lombardi Trophy with commentator Dan Patrick, left, after the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 4, 2018. (Focus on sport/Getty Images)
The players’ association and the WNBA agreed to an eight-year deal in 2020, but the WNBPA voted last year to end the deal early.
The current agreement will expire on October 31.
Patrick worked for ESPN from 1989 to 2006, and then for NBC Sports in 2008 and remained there until 2018. He now hosts “The Dan Patrick Show.” Patrick’s full interview with Dakich will air on OutKick on Friday.
