The WNBA’s growth has transformed the league into a much bigger business, but that progress has also brought massive scrutiny of the leadership. Now, as current commissioner Cathy Engelbert prepares to step away from the league, she has a clear message for the next person who takes over the commissioner’s office: the job needs more than just business acumen.
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“The good news is there’s people who really want to take on this role, which I think is great,” Engelbert told reporters in her press conference before Game 1 of the WNBA finals.
“It’s a multidimensional role. You have to have very thick skin… You have to have confidence that we can continue this growth trajectory and confidence in building relationships with players and agents and the Board of Governors, the owners and the stakeholders.”
Engelbert previously announced that she intends to retire at the end of 2026, which will mark the end of a seven-year tenure that began in July 2019. Engelbert was hired from Deloitte to help grow the WNBA, which faced massive unprofitability at the time. She helped change that.
Under Engelbert, the WNBA saw massive growth. It began with a $75 million stake sale in 2022, which helped finance upgrades to the digital and marketing segments within the league offices. Then, under her supervision, the league saw a massive collective bargaining agreement change following the 2025 season, leading to the league’s first $1 million salaries.
Engelbert’s tenure also saw the league expand to several new frontiers. The first of these came in 2025 with the Golden State Valkyries, and 2026 saw both the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo join the league. Three more teams are set to join their ranks over the next three seasons, set in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Teams have also seen their valuation surge. The Valkyries became the first professional women’s sports team to be valued at a billion. Add to that several smaller accomplishments, like growing the central league office to nearly 100 people, opening a new replay center in New Jersey starting in 2027, and chartered flights for all games, and Engelbert’s impact becomes clear.
However, there have been clear areas of improvement.
Players often criticized Engelbert’s poor relationship-building, something that only got worse when Napheesa Collier harshly criticized her during her 2025 exit interview, calling out Engelbert’s WNBA for having “the worst leadership in the world.
That also led to the CBA negotiations stretching out for the entire 2025 offseason and being resolved extremely late. The two sides, the league and the players, completed the agreement on May 22, two months after the deal was agreed upon. For reference, the 2026 season started on May 8.
“This marks the beginning of a bold new era of the WNBA — one made possible by the passion and dedication of the players, team owners, fans, investors, partners and the entire WNBA family,” Engelbert said back then.
During Engelbert’s interview, she also revealed that she had been working on a succession strategy for three and a half years. Currently, the firm Excel Search and Advisory has been hired by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to help find a replacement.
“There’s a lot of different characteristics we’re all looking for,” Engelbert told reporters.
“But I’ve met with the search firm and getting updates periodically as they start to reach out to potential candidates. I had candidates I submitted; a lot of us did, and a lot of people have called. The good news is there’s people who really want to take on this role, which I think is great.”
Regardless of who Engelbert’s successor ends up being, it’s clear that the league’s increased visibility has brought challenges alongside commercial success. The next commissioner will have to manage the WNBA’s continued growth while building trust across a broad stakeholder group. Only time will tell if they can overcome these challenges while balancing player relationships.