WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media during a press conference before the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game 2026 at the United Center on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
Melissa Tamez | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of 2026, the league announced Friday.
The decision came as the league was experiencing unprecedented growth, but Engelbert faced criticism from some players about her leadership.
A successor has not yet been decided.
“In 2019, I had the honor of being named the league’s first commissioner and leading a league that has great potential but is still unrecognized and undervalued. Over the years, it has been incredible to watch WNBA players grow and lead the way in a massive cultural wave surrounding women’s sports,” Engelbert said in a statement.
During her tenure, the league experienced significant increases in television viewership, game attendance, corporate sponsorship, and franchise valuations. Since 2019, viewership has increased by about 454% and attendance has increased by about 70%, according to the WNBA.
“Cathy has led the WNBA through one of the most significant periods of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We are grateful for Kathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the development of women’s basketball.”
The average WNBA team is now worth $460 million, according to CNBC’s official 2026 WNBA team valuation. When the Golden State Valkyries join the league in 2025, they will become the first women’s team in any sport to be valued at $1 billion.
Engelbert oversaw the expansion of the league from 12 teams to 18 by 2030. She also helped negotiate a landmark collective bargaining agreement earlier this year that led to the largest pay raise in WNBA history.
“Being able to pretty much tie your value to your salary is everything we’ve fought for and that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in an interview with CNBC Sports.
But Engelbert’s time as commissioner was often overshadowed by his fractious relationship with some players over pay, officiating issues and his handling of racism and online harassment. Many WNBA players argue that the benefits and protections the league provides for players have not kept pace with the increased attention to the WNBA.
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But we have the worst leadership in the world right now,” Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx famously said of Engelbert last year.
More recently, concerns have been raised that Engelbert failed to adequately respond to political protests over transgender women playing sports that have begun to overshadow the league’s season in recent weeks. There are no known transgender players in the WNBA.
Engelbert said in a statement that he is grateful to WNBA and NBA team owners, staff, players, investors and fans for believing in what the league will become.
“I retire knowing that we have built something bigger, stronger and more lasting than we ever imagined,” she said. “I retire with a tremendous sense of gratitude and great optimism for the future of the WNBA.”
