Cathy Engelbert is leaving behind a WNBA that looks almost unrecognizable from the league she inherited in 2019, with the league’s growth skyrocketing. However, as we look forward to seeing who Engelbert’s successor will be, one WNBA legend believes it can’t just be someone whose success is measured in TV deals or revenue.
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That legend is former Phoenix Mercury head coach and GM and women’s basketball great Cheryl Miller. During a recent appearance alongside Sue Bird on NBC’s Fanta in 60 show, she revealed what she is looking for in the next WNBA commissioner. The segment was clipped and posted to X by the show’s host, John Fanta.
“I would like someone who is relatable to the players but strong enough to stand up. Someone who will clean up all the messiness when things happen with the players,” Miller said. “And to try to kind of put her arms around them and gently nudge them and educate them that every question that’s launched doesn’t mean that you have to answer it.
“And sometimes it’s just sticking to the game. Let’s talk about the game, because the game is the biggest and brightest part of this league.”
The timing of Miller’s comments follows weeks of conjecture stemming from the announcement that Engelbert plans to retire at the end of this season. The league announced her decision on September 4, with her term ending on December 31.
In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Engelbert explained that she had been at the helm of the league longer than she had expected to be when she took the job, and that she had been thinking about retiring for months leading up to the announcement.
“When I first came to the league, I intended to do this for 3 1/2 years,” she said. “The 7 1/2 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.”
Those achievements that Engelbert listed are some of the most notable impacts she has made during her tenure. However, perhaps the most significant change during her tenure is the exponential growth the WNBA has undergone. All it takes to see just how much more profitable the league is now is to look at the average value of a franchise: back in 2019, it was $10 million, and now, seven years later, it stands at $460 million.
However, Engelbert’s tenure has not been without criticism. One of the biggest criticisms of Engelbert is that, despite being the figurehead of the league, she did not have many strong relationships with players, a point that has been raised by several players.
One such player was Breanna Stewart, the current Vice President of the Executive Committee of the WNBPA, the league’s players’ union. During a recent interview with The Athletic, Stewart talked about how she thought that Engelbert hadn’t made the players feel supported.
“Obviously, you have to have the business side of things under wraps,” she said. “But also there is a personable side that players want. You … want the next commissioner to really own that in growing the relationship with players. And I wouldn’t say Cathy didn’t. I just think she didn’t do it right away.”
WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson was also harshly critical of Engelbert for her response to players being harassed online, claiming that she didn’t do enough for the players and was “creating an unsafe space for the players in arenas, at their homes and online.”
Now, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver leads the search for Engelbert’s successor over the next four months, Miller’s message is clear. According to her, the next leader now has to manage what comes with the WNBA becoming a major part of the sports landscape.