Cathy Engelbert has been the face of the WNBA during one of the most transformative periods in league history. And that is certainly something she will be remembered for. But will she actually be remembered as the one truly driving those transformations? Because according to WNBA reporter Annie Costabile, there is a legitimate and unresolved question about who was actually calling the shots behind the scenes.

“What’s consistently come into question, and speaks to how much influence she truly had in these moments, is the question of what role the NBA has played, specifically Adam Silver, in her job title,” Costabile said on Friday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast.

“We know that she reports to him, and even when it comes to expansion, we know the NBA has played a role in the league’s expansion and in some of these teams that are joining by 2030, specifically the obvious move of the Connecticut Sun to the Houston Rockets. And so there is a real question about who is actually the puppet master behind all of these moves.”

Cathy Engelbert herself confirmed her retirement decision on Friday, releasing a statement that reflected on the scope of what she helped build. 

“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.”

Under her leadership, the WNBA introduced its first charter travel programme, negotiated a collective bargaining agreement that produced the league’s first million-dollar player salaries, secured a landmark $3.1 billion media rights deal, led a record-breaking $75 million capital raise, and mapped out an expansion plan set to grow the league from 12 to 18 franchises by 2030.

“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined. 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,” Cathy Engelbert added.

However, Costabile highlighted the lack of clarity about how much influence Engelbert had in these moments because it was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who brought her into the WNBA.

In fact, the creation of the “Commissioner” title in 2019 was itself a structural upgrade from the previous designation of President. It was a change that suggested increased autonomy, but analysts have always speculated on the level of influence the NBA commissioner has had on the WNBA’s decision-making during its biggest moments since Cathy Engelbert took over.

Back in 2025 when the when the CBA negotiations between the WNBA and the NBA were going nowhere, Silver gave his own take on how the revenue sharing model and salaries should work.

Appearing on the Today Show, the NBA commissioner revealed that revenue sharing was the wrong framework for the conversation. Instead, he explained that while the players deserved a big raise in their salaries and percentage of revenue, the salaries should be fixed.

The CBA negotiations ultimately turned into a 17-month saga of back-and-forth between the league and the players. Earlier this season, when Cathy Engelbert remained silent amid calls for action in the face of player safety, online hate, and other controversies, Silver was once again asked for his take.

“I think Cathy continues to do a strong job building that league. We’ll have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like,” Silver said in July after the NBA board of governors meeting.

Now that the retirement announcement has come, it’ll be interesting to see who takes over as Commissioner. However, the structural reality is unlikely to change dramatically with whoever eventually succeeds Cathy Engelbert. The NBA and its commissioner will be tied to the WNBA. The question is simply how visible it will be.