As the WNBA season is on hiatus due to the FIBA World Cup, the league is still in the news. On Friday, news broke that league Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of 2026. She was named the WNBA’s first Commissioner in July 2019. Prior to the role, Engelbert made history as the first-ever CEO of the accounting and auditing firm Deloitte.
Under her leadership, the Commissioner’s Cup was created in 2021 along with the “Wubble” in 2020. This allowed the players to compete in a season through the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Engelbert led the way to WNBA expansion from 12 franchises to 18 by the year 2030. Lastly, she played a role in the league’s most historical CBAs that saw the increase in benefits and salaries.
Engelbert, in part of a statement, expressed her sentiments about the league and the people:
“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined. I am grateful to the WNBA and NBA team owners and staff, players, investors, fans and the powerhouse league office staff, who believed in what this league could become.”
With fewer than 120 days left in 2026, the focus now shifts to Engelbert’s successor, as people float several names.
Two Potential Candidates for WNBA Commissioner
As mentioned earlier, the question now is who will be league’s second Commissioner? There have been two names floating around that fans will be familiar with. First, the President of the WNBPA and current Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike.The eight-time All-WNBA player plans to retire from playing after the season but will remain WNBPA president until the end of the year.
Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video.
Second is three-time WNBA champion Swin Cash, who is the founder/CEO of She’s Got Time. Also, she is the President of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s. What’s more, Cash was the Vice President and later, Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. She was the Director of Franchise Development for the New York Liberty from Jan 2017 to Mar 2019.
Photo Credit: PlayersTV
Time will tell as to who will be Engelbert’s successor with many more candidates to emerge over the few months.
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