WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has announced she will retire at the end of 2026, concluding a transformative seven-year tenure as the league’s first official commissioner.
Appointed in 2019, Engelbert spearheaded an unprecedented era of growth for women’s basketball. Her leadership saw record-breaking television viewership, historic highs in attendance, full-time player charter flights, and league expansion from 12 to 18 teams. She also secured a landmark multi-billion-dollar media rights package and navigated crucial collective bargaining agreements.
Engelbert departs having fundamentally elevated the WNBA’s commercial valuation, global footprint, and overall business landscape.
You can read the full text of Engelbert announcement here.
Below is the statements from WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike and executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson.