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Cathy Engelbert was asked Saturday whether she expects to be commissioner at the start of next season.
"I am so blessed to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hyper growth period ... I will just continue to do my job, execute the strategy, because it has been working," Engelbert said.
She did not answer yes or no. Her contract expires at the end of the year.
The question came at her annual midseason press conference in Chicago, hours before tip-off of the WNBA All-Star Game at the United Center. Engelbert has held the job since 2019. She came to the league from Deloitte, where she had been chief executive of the firm's U.S. business.
Asked about her relationship with players following the collective bargaining agreement, Engelbert said the two sides are in a good place. She said communication with players can be better across the board, and that preferred modes of communication can create a disconnect. She said she would reach out to players after Saturday's announcement that the league will open centralized Replay Center operations in 2027.
WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, speaking at All-Star practices Friday, did not say whether she believes Engelbert should stay on. Ogwumike said the decision is not hers to make. She said she will work with whoever is across the table from her, and that she told Engelbert as much at a meeting earlier in the week. Ogwumike has been union president since 2016. She is an 11-time All-Star and is in her first season back with Los Angeles since 2023.
Engelbert was booed during the Commissioner's Cup trophy presentation last month.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said in 2025 that the league had the worst leadership in the world. Collier said more recently that the remark was an aggressive stance taken for leverage during labor talks.
The league and the WNBPA reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement March 18. Players approved the deal March 23. The Board of Governors ratified it March 24. In February, the league had told the union and its teams that a new agreement was needed by March 10 to keep the 2026 schedule from being affected.
The agreement gives the union access to informational, educational, and points-of-emphasis videos regarding officiating. Beginning in 2027, the season can extend to Nov. 21, and the schedule can grow to 50 games.
This is the WNBA's 30th season. The league expanded from 13 to 15 teams in May with the additions of the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. Cleveland begins play in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. Each of the three ownership groups paid a $250 million expansion fee.
Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon served as honorary general managers for the All-Star Game and drafted their rosters from a pool of 22 All-Stars. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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"I am so blessed to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hyper growth period ... I will just continue to do my job, execute the strategy, because it has been working," Engelbert said.
She did not answer yes or no. Her contract expires at the end of the year.
The question came at her annual midseason press conference in Chicago, hours before tip-off of the WNBA All-Star Game at the United Center. Engelbert has held the job since 2019. She came to the league from Deloitte, where she had been chief executive of the firm's U.S. business.
Asked about her relationship with players following the collective bargaining agreement, Engelbert said the two sides are in a good place. She said communication with players can be better across the board, and that preferred modes of communication can create a disconnect. She said she would reach out to players after Saturday's announcement that the league will open centralized Replay Center operations in 2027.
WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, speaking at All-Star practices Friday, did not say whether she believes Engelbert should stay on. Ogwumike said the decision is not hers to make. She said she will work with whoever is across the table from her, and that she told Engelbert as much at a meeting earlier in the week. Ogwumike has been union president since 2016. She is an 11-time All-Star and is in her first season back with Los Angeles since 2023.
Engelbert was booed during the Commissioner's Cup trophy presentation last month.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said in 2025 that the league had the worst leadership in the world. Collier said more recently that the remark was an aggressive stance taken for leverage during labor talks.
The league and the WNBPA reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement March 18. Players approved the deal March 23. The Board of Governors ratified it March 24. In February, the league had told the union and its teams that a new agreement was needed by March 10 to keep the 2026 schedule from being affected.
The agreement gives the union access to informational, educational, and points-of-emphasis videos regarding officiating. Beginning in 2027, the season can extend to Nov. 21, and the schedule can grow to 50 games.
This is the WNBA's 30th season. The league expanded from 13 to 15 teams in May with the additions of the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. Cleveland begins play in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. Each of the three ownership groups paid a $250 million expansion fee.
Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon served as honorary general managers for the All-Star Game and drafted their rosters from a pool of 22 All-Stars. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Continue reading...
