Commissioner WALKS OUT After Seeing Just 150 Fans at Aces vs Mercury in WNBA Finals!

What was supposed to be a historic WNBA Finals night turned into a public embarrassment for the league. According to multiple eyewitness reports, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was seen walking out of the arena in visible frustration after noticing the shockingly low attendance — barely 150 fans — during Game 1 between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury.

The moment, now viral across social media, has quickly become symbolic of what fans are calling the league’s “worst Finals atmosphere in years.”

“It looked like a preseason scrimmage,” one fan posted on X. “The commissioner walked out before the second quarter even started. You can’t blame her — the seats were EMPTY.”

Sources inside the arena confirmed that entire sections of the lower bowl were vacant, and television broadcasts reportedly struggled to find camera angles that didn’t show rows of empty seats. The official attendance number was never announced publicly — a move some analysts called “intentional damage control.”

The sight stunned league insiders. Just months ago, the WNBA celebrated record-breaking regular-season viewership and packed crowds driven by the star power of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. But with both the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun eliminated, the Finals matchup between the Aces and Mercury seems to have fallen flat.

Even worse, fans online are blasting the league for poor marketing and scheduling decisions.

“No promotion, no storylines, and they wonder why no one showed up,” one fan wrote.
“Caitlin Clark carried the season — now they’re paying the price for ignoring what fans actually want,” another added.

League officials have not yet commented on Engelbert’s abrupt departure, but several reporters confirmed seeing her escorted out of the arena alongside senior WNBA staff after a tense courtside discussion.

The optics couldn’t be worse. Images of the nearly empty stadium flooded Twitter and Instagram, prompting headlines like “Finals or Practice?” and “The $35 Championship Nobody Wanted.”

Sponsors are reportedly alarmed as well. A major corporate partner told ESPN anonymously that the turnout was “beyond disappointing” and that executives were “urgently reassessing” their post-season commitments.

Meanwhile, players on both teams tried to stay focused amid the circus. Aces star Kelsey Plum brushed off the chaos, saying, “We don’t play for the cameras — we play to win. But yeah, you feel it. You can’t ignore it.”

Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi echoed the sentiment: “We’ve been doing this too long to let an empty arena throw us off. Still, this isn’t what the Finals should look like.”

For a league that’s worked tirelessly to prove its growth, the sight of empty seats and a commissioner storming out is a PR nightmare. What should’ve been a showcase for women’s basketball has become an uncomfortable reminder of how fragile the league’s momentum can be without its biggest stars.

The WNBA Finals may continue — but after tonight’s debacle, the league’s leadership will be asking itself some hard questions.