As questions around the future commissioner of the WNBA keep circling, one woman has made her opinion clear. With Cathy Engelbert’s position at the top of the league set to expire at the end of the season, Cheryl Reeve has offered her own vision on what new leadership should look like.
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The Minnesota Lynx head coach, also the winningest coach in WNBA history, was asked about what her biggest priority would be if she were league commissioner during an appearance on the Good Game with Sarah Spain show. Instead of focusing on TV deals or revenue, Reeve pointed to something more important.
“Trust of the players. It’s like a team. I have a leadership team. My leadership team is our big three, our captains, along with our coaches. And so I would work really, really hard in that space of, you know, you’ve got to repair relations, and they need your trust,” Cheryl Reeve told Sarah Spain.
“And so I think that probably would be top of mind. Obviously, the business element, right? You know, I think that’s obviously huge at this point. But number one would be player relations.”
Her comments come just days after Engelbert declined to directly answer whether she expects to remain WNBA commissioner during All-Star Weekend. Instead, she chose to answer reporters by highlighting the unprecedented growth the league has seen during her tenure as commissioner.
“Obviously, I am so blessed to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hypergrowth period,” Engelbert said. “So blessed that these players are putting a product on the court they are every night, that they stand for the values that the W has long sought for.”
Over the past few years, the league has experienced record-breaking numbers in TV ratings and sponsorship growth. Still, criticism from players over various issues ranging from officiating consistency to safety concerns, and it all came to a head leading up to CBA discussions last year, when Napheesa Collier publicly called out Engelbert.
“The real threat to our league isn’t money. It isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office,” she had said back then. “Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage year after year; the only thing that remains consistent is a lack of accountability from our leaders.”
Now, Cheryl Reeve, Collier’s coach, seems to have highlighted a similar sentiment to focus on. Regardless of whether leadership changes, player relationships will remain the focus for both coach and player in the Lynx locker room.