PHOENIX — The chorus of boos showered on WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert when she took the microphone Friday night to present the Aces their championship trophy was deafening and unrelenting.

Whatever Engelbert was saying wasn’t audible amid the jeers.

ESPN did its best to blur out the middle fingers fans put up in the background.

Though it’s common for league commissioners to be the target fans’ ire, Friday’s scene could be a defining moment in league history.

The WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association remains at odds with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire Oct. 31.

Negotiations for a new deal amid the league’s skyrocketing popularity are far behind schedule, with a work stoppage at this point seemingly inevitable.

Whether that could imp

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