Cathy Engelbert Retiring as WNBA Commissioner — SkimNews
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- Cathy Engelbert announced Friday she will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of this year, after taking the role in 2019 from her post as CEO at Deloitte.
- Under Engelbert, franchise valuations soared: the New York Liberty sold for $10-15 million in early 2019 and have since been valued as high as $600 million, while the league expanded to a planned 18 teams by 2030.
- Engelbert signed two CBAs (including the 2026 deal that produced the WNBA's first million-dollar salaries), executed the 2020 bubble season during COVID-19, and oversaw the 2022 capital raise that sold a 16% equity stake for $75 million.
- Engelbert's standing with players collapsed when Napheesa Collier publicly criticized her at a September 2025 exit interview, drawing peer support and fan boos at the Commissioner's Cup finals and All-Star Weekends.
- In September 2024, Engelbert told CNBC the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry was good for the league rather than condemning racist fan behavior, later conceding she "missed the mark."
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver will appoint the WNBA's next leader, his third such pick since 2014; candidates mentioned include Bethany Donaphin, Swin Cash, and Nneka Ogwumike.
Why it matters: Silver's next hire inherits a league transformed financially (Liberty now valued at up to $600 million versus $10-15 million at sale) but still needing to repair the commissioner-player trust gap that defined Engelbert's final year and fueled Collier's public rebuke.
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