Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner on Dec. 31 and says the decision was entirely hers as the league begins a succession process.
Cathy Engelbert informed the league Friday that she will retire as commissioner of the WNBA at the end of 2026, a decision announced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. She was appointed the league's first commissioner in 2019 and assumed her role in July of that year.
Her last day is Dec. 31. Engelbert, who will be 62 in November, told The Associated Press by phone that the decision was entirely hers and that she did not feel any pressure from NBA or WNBA stakeholders to resign.
"When I first came to the league I intended to do this for 3 1/2 years," Engelbert 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."
Both internal and external candidates are on the league's radar, Engelbert said, though she did not name any of them. She has been working on a succession plan for the last several years.
"It's a good time to hand it off to the next leader to take the 'W' into a better phase," Engelbert explained. "I'm proud of the team we built and everything we accomplished. A leader knows when it's time to drop the mic and move on after building a powerhouse team in the league office."
Engelbert is the second-longest-tenured president or commissioner in league history. Her predecessor, Lisa Borders, resigned in October 2018, and NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum ran the league on an interim basis until Engelbert was hired the following May. The next commissioner will be the sixth person to lead the WNBA.
Engelbert wishes to provide the next leader with a transition she was never given.
"I love women's basketball and am not going anywhere yet. We'll run a real succession process in the remaining four months. If we don't find someone I'll stay on," Engelbert said. "I had no transition. I walked in the door and I was by myself as no one transitioned me into this role."
Engelbert came to the league from Deloitte, where she had led the firm's U.S. business since 2015. The average value of a WNBA franchise was $10 million in 2019. It is roughly $460 million now.
The league's 11-year media rights deal with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime Video started this season and will last until 2036. The agreement is valued at approximately $2.2 billion. It provides more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationwide each year. The earlier deal was worth roughly $60 million per season. The NBA, which owns about 60% of the WNBA, led the negotiations.
In March, the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association approved a seven-year collective bargaining agreement extending through 2032, marking the first time the league has implemented revenue sharing. The salary cap increased from $1.5 million to $7 million. Starting maximum salaries are now at $1.4 million, compared to $249,244 in 2025. Minimum salaries vary from $270,000 to $300,000 based on years of service, with the average salary estimated at $583,000.
This season, Toronto and Portland began competing, increasing the league to 15 teams. Cleveland will join in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030, each contributing a $250 million expansion fee. The WNBA will have 18 teams by the end of the decade.
The 2020 season occurred within a bubble in Bradenton, Florida, and Engelbert later described that summer as an existential moment for the league. Full-time charter travel arrived later in her tenure.
At the Board of Governors meetings in March, Silver said he and the WNBA board had not discussed whether Engelbert would remain beyond the 2026 season.
"Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league's 30-year history," Silver said Friday. "We are grateful for Cathy's leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women's basketball."
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier criticized Engelbert as negligent and called league leadership the worst in the world in an end-of-season interview last September. Players across the league supported her remarks. Sources told ESPN that Engelbert has continued to struggle to build relationships with players, owners, and upper-level management in the months since. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, a vice president on the players' union executive committee, said before this year's All-Star Game that players respect Engelbert but lack a close relationship.
Players have reported increased online abuse over the past several seasons. Engelbert has called the attacks unacceptable and has backed league initiatives on player safety.
"There have been some hard parts of that on my family with the vitriol and hate I get online," Engelbert said.
She was brought in as a business leader to transform the business, Engelbert said, pointing to revenue, merchandise, viewership, and attendance.
"After more than seven years at the WNBA and more than 40 total years in business, I have made the decision to retire as WNBA Commissioner," Engelbert said in the league's announcement. "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."
The league is in the middle of a 17-day break for the FIBA World Cup in Germany, which runs through Sept. 16. The regular season ends Sept. 24. The playoffs begin Sept. 27 with eight teams, a best-of-three first round, a best-of-five semifinal round, and a best-of-seven Finals.
