NEW YORK — The WNBA will have a new commissioner after the end of 2026. Cathy Engelbert will retire from the position, effective at the end of the year.
“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 a press release. “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.”
Her job has been called into question over the last year or so.
"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," Minnesota Lynx Napheesa Collier famously said last year.
Despite all the criticism, Engelbert presided over the last two Collective Bargaining Agreements and a huge growth spurt of the league. She was named the first-ever Commissioner of the league in 2019. The league will grow to 18 teams by 2030 after being stuck at 12 teams for nearly two decades. The season will be on a 50-game schedule starting next season. The average franchise is valued at nearly $500 million, with the Golden State Valkyries hitting a billion at its most recent valuation. And the media rights have increased to over $3 billion.
“When I first came to the league I intended to do this for 3½ years," Engelbert said in an interview with the Associated Press. "The 7½ 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."
There hasn’t been any candidates mentioned for her successor as of yet.
“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” Engelbert said. “I am grateful to the WNBA and NBA team owners and staff, players, investors, fans and the powerhouse league office staff, who believed in what this league could become. I retire with immense gratitude and tremendous optimism for the future of the WNBA, with the best yet to come.”