Cathy Engelbert is to retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of 2026, bringing her seven-year tenure at the helm of the women’s basketball league to a close.
The WNBA announced the decision on Friday, with no successor named. Engelbert, who became the organisation’s first commissioner in 2019, will remain in post until the end of the calendar year.
Her departure comes as the league enters the most expansive period in its history. Under her leadership, the WNBA has grown from 12 teams to a planned 18 by 2030, while television audiences, attendances, sponsorship revenues and franchise valuations have all risen sharply.
The league said viewership had increased by about 454 per cent since 2019, with attendance up by roughly 70 per cent. The average WNBA team is now valued at $460 million, while the Golden State Valkyries became the first women’s sports team to reach a $1 billion valuation.
Engelbert also oversaw the arrival of new franchises, helped secure a landmark collective bargaining agreement that delivered the biggest pay increases in league history, and negotiated the expansion of the regular season to 50 games from 2027.
The WNBA said her tenure had also included a $75 million capital raise in 2022, described as the largest investment round in women’s sport at the time, as well as the introduction of a league-wide charter flight programme for teams and players.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver paid tribute to Engelbert, saying she had led the WNBA through “the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history”.
Engelbert said she had decided to retire after more than seven years with the WNBA and more than four decades in business.
“It has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports,” she said.
Her leadership was nevertheless frequently criticised by players, particularly over pay, officiating, protections against racism and online abuse, and the league’s response to political disputes involving transgender participation in sport.
Minnesota Lynx player Napheesa Collier sharply criticised Engelbert last year, saying the WNBA had “the worst leadership in the world”. Players and their union have argued that the league’s benefits and protections have not kept pace with its rapid rise in popularity.
Engelbert said she was leaving with confidence in the league’s future.
“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” she said. “I retire with immense gratitude and tremendous optimism for the future of the WNBA, with the best yet to come.”
