On a night meant to celebrate the WNBA’s bright future, commissioner Cathy Engelbert was once again forced to defend her own. Despite a historic CBA in place, Engelbert has often been asked about her future in the league’s front office. And the pre-draft night became the latest seat of this reckoning, and Engelbert wasn’t going to let that slip.

The moment unfolded at the pre-draft press conference, where the WNBA commissioner was asked this question. In reply, Engelbert struck back at the reporter, questioning if she would have been asked this question if she were a man. “I do crack up how everybody is focused on me. And you should be focused on the hundreds of amazing women and thousands of women who run this league outside of myself,” Engelbert said.

“Our women owners, women board of governors, women GM’s, women head coaches, and my whole team of diverse men and women who are working hard every day to get the 30th season tipped off by May 8th. I appreciate that you’re focused on me, but I wonder whether you’ll ask that of a man by the way. I realized as women we get asked different questions than men do.”

It’s quite subjective what Engelbert was trying to convey through her answer. The bottom line is that she didn’t make it clear what her future might look like. Rather, she wanted the entire night’s focus to be on the draft. Of course, it’s frustrating for Engelbert to discuss her future so often.

It’s even more demeaning, especially when her male counterpart, NBA President Adam Silver, rarely faces such treatment and has even praised the WNBA commissioner for nailing the role. “We haven’t had those discussions yet. I would only say Cathy has done a fantastic job since she’s come to the WNBA,” Silver said.

There’s no denying that Engelbert has done a substantial job for the league of late. The $2.2M media rights deal and the oversight of a historic new CBA add weight to it. But the source of frustration with Engelbert has existed for a long time now. Even before the CBA negotiations were completed, many voices opposed her role as league commissioner and her commitment to the league’s development.

We all know of Napheesa Collier’s viral rant against Engelbert last season. Collier lashed out at the commissioner for failing to address developmental issues in the league. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The uncertainty around her role stems from a broader, much older context. Just after the CBA negotiations wrapped up, insider Annie Costabile hinted that a “transfer of power” might be looming even after a historic agreement is in place.

Furthermore, reports have also occasionally surfaced that a few WNBA owners are also unhappy with Engelbert’s leadership. And most of it stems from her decision to sell 16% of the league’s stakes to raise capital. According to Costabile, several owners felt it wasn’t the right move.

“I’ve talk crumbles lot of sources within the league, owners specifically, who have concerns about Cathy going back to the 16% stake sale for 75 million,” she said. “At the time, that was looked at as this celebratory moment outwardly. But there were a lot of people inside who were like, ‘This is a mistake.”  Eventually, this move crumbled the league’s ownership. And subsequently hampered Engelbert’s ability to bid for higher revenue sharing for the players during the negotiations.

All in all, with so much dissent, it’s certain that Cathy Engelbert is facing the fire from every nook and cranny, even after overseeing a historic WNBA CBA negotiation. But for now, Engelbert has made an unheard-of revelation that muddled the CBA negotiations a bit in its own weight.

Cathy Engelbert Talks Through an ‘Important’ CBA Provision on Draft Night That WNBPA Refused to Fold

Over the course of the WNBA’s CBA negotiations, two major provisions dominated the proceedings: the salary cap and revenue sharing. These were the objectives that the WNBPA refused to be complacent about. But for Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, she was surprised by a third provision taking major precedence in the negotiations: the housing provision for the players.

Speaking at her pre-draft night media availability, Engelbert said she felt that, with larger salaries and bonuses, the players wouldn’t need team-paid housing. But the players were stubborn in their stance.

“I didn’t know how important and emotional that was for them. Because I just assume ― having two children in their 20s ― that, you know, pay for their own housing, that once they were making these much increased salaries, that that wasn’t something they would need or want, but they made it very clear, it was very important to them,” Engelbert said. “It was an emotional issue. That was the major issue. Everything else we wanted for the players.”

As reality set in, the players managed to sneak in a housing provision in the new CBA. In line with that, all players will receive housing for the next few years. Players earning $500,000 or less will also receive housing for 2029 and 2030. On the other hand, the developmental players will be receiving studio apartments throughout the tenure of this new CBA.

This is yet another silver lining in the league’s improvement in player standards. But it’s worth seeing what the future holds for her, even with these landmark CBA provisions. Now that the CBA negotiations have settled in, she will need to address the issues on the court as well. Issues regarding officiating have grown synonymous with the league. The bottom line is that, even if she’s not a ‘quitter’ to leave, she will need to work for the players and the league.