Cathy Engelbert will retire from her role as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year, the league announced Friday. Engelbert, the first commissioner in WNBA history, has served in the role since 2019. She saw the league add six expansion teams, oversaw two new collective bargaining agreements and navigated the COVD pandemic in 2020.
"Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league's 30-year history," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "We are grateful for Cathy's leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women's basketball."
"After more than seven years at the WNBA and more than 40 total years in business, I have made the decision to retire as WNBA Commissioner," Engelbert said. "In 2019, I had the privilege of being appointed the league's first commissioner and to lead a league with enormous potential yet untapped awareness and significant undervaluation. Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women's sports."
In 2020, Engelbert oversaw the creation of the "Wubble" in Florida, which allowed the WNBA to complete a shortened season. In 2021, during her second season in charge, the WNBA introduced the Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament that was a forerunner to the NBA Cup. A year later, she led a $75 million capital raise that provided the league with crucial funding and spurred its recent growth.
During Engelbert's tenure, the WNBA became the first women's professional league in the United States to provide charter flights for all games, and has expanded the number of regular season games to 44. The regular season will grow again in 2027 to 50 games -- a new record. There are also now 15 teams after Engelbert led an expansion drive that started with the Golden State Valkyries and has since included the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Three additional teams -- in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia -- will join by 2030, bringing the league to a record 18 teams.
Engelbert's expansion
Six expansion teams have joined the WNBA under Engelbert's tenure.
| Current teams | Future teams |
|---|---|
Golden State Valkyries (2025) | Cleveland Sirens (2028) |
Portland Fire (2026) | Detroit (2029) |
Toronto Tempo (2026) | Philadelphia (2030) |
Most notably, Engelbert oversaw the signing of two collective bargaining agreements, including the most recent one earlier this year, which raised the salary cap to $7 million, created the first million-dollar salaries in league history and established the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in women's professional sports history. The seven-year agreement began with the 2026 season and will run through 2032, with an opt-out after the sixth year in 2031.
While Engelbert helped usher in massive growth for the WNBA on the business side, she had come under significant fire in recent years for her poor relationship with players. The issues were exacerbated during the contentious CBA negotiations over the past year, which ran into March and threatened the 2026 season.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier's explosive quote last year summed things up: "We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now we have the worst leadership in the world."
Engelbert and the league have also faced criticism for how they've handled player safety, online discourse and poor officiating, particularly in the last few years as the league has become more popular than ever. Most recently, there has been frustration from all sides regarding the league's response to the debate about transgender athletes. The WNBA has become a battleground for the issue following comments by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and a series of stunts by former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White.
At the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago earlier this summer, Engelbert gave a non-answer when asked if she expected to be in charge at the start of next season. But despite all of the pressure and speculation, she maintains that it was her decision to step away.
"When I first came to the league, I intended to do this for three-and-a-half years," Engelbert told the Associated Press. "The seven-and-a-half years exceeded that time. This is a really good time given the financial transformation journey we've been on. Getting the collective bargaining agreement done, getting a long-term media rights deal done, getting expansion done."
"It's a good time to hand it off to the next leader to take the 'W' into a better phase," she continued. "I'm proud of the team we built and everything we accomplished. A leader knows when it's time to drop the mic and move on after building a powerhouse team in the league office."
As of now, there is no indication as to who will replace Engelbert. She told the Associated Press that there are both internal and external candidates, and that she will stick around early into 2027 if the league does not have a replacement in place by Dec. 31.
