The first application for the WNBA commissioner position has officially come in. Not that the role was advertised, but as is customary with Enes Kanter Freedom and his penchant for declaring himself for positions regardless of whether they are available, he has once again come forward with a declaration. This time, it is for the role of WNBA commissioner, following the announcement of Cathy Engelbert’s pending retirement.
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“While the reported retirement of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is a win for women and an admission that the league’s rules must change, her retirement does not solve the systemic issues which must be addressed in order to protect women’s sports,” Freedom said in a video shared on his X page on Friday.
“If the WNBA is unable to define what a woman is, then I, Enes Kanter Freedom, would be more than happy to step in as commissioner and lead this league back to greatness and restore fairness for all women. I’ll bring common sense. I’ll bring fairness. And yes, I’ll bring a dictionary. So let’s make WNBA female again.”
The WNBA officially announced that Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire effective December 31, 2026, with the decision shared on Friday. This will mark the end of her more than seven-year tenure as the league’s first-ever commissioner, having assumed the role in 2019.
Engelbert herself released a statement confirming the news and expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to lead the league, as well as for the people she worked alongside, and how much they’ve contributed to building the WNBA over the years.
“Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports. I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined.”
It is in that context that Freedom has made his declaration, and it is not the first time the former Boston Celtics centre has made this kind of move involving the WNBA. Back on August 7, he declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming he now identifies as a woman. That declaration was, of course, a challenge to the WNBA’s vague eligibility language because the league didn’t define the word “woman” in the new CBA.
It was a unique way of showing his support for Sophie Cunningham, whose views opposing trans athletes participating in women’s sports on a July 21, 2026, ESPN profile had sparked the controversy.
Since then, the former Boston Celtics player has stuck to his cause. From claiming that he had spoken to male G League players who also spoke about declaring their eligibility if the league didn’t specify the policy to attending an Indiana Fever game, Freedom has not backed down.
As reflected in his latest announcement, Freedom is continuing that same campaign, using increasingly theatrical gestures to champion his opposition to the inclusion of biological males in women’s sport and to challenge the league’s framework for defining who qualifies as a woman.
The selection of a WNBA Commissioner is a structured corporate hiring process managed by the league’s most senior stakeholders, not a public election or an open application process.
Specifically, the outgoing commissioner typically initiates the transition by submitting a curated list of qualified internal and external candidates to the relevant decision-makers. The league also routinely partners with top-tier executive search firms to identify and vet high-profile leaders from the sports, entertainment, and business sectors.
The ultimate authority to hire the next commissioner rests with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the WNBA Board of Governors, the team owners. They vet candidates and secure a majority vote before the formalization of any appointment. Given that structure, it is safe to say that the likelihood of Enes Kanter Freedom becoming the next WNBA commissioner is effectively zero.