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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was on-site at the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting Wednesday, beaming about the deal reached between the league and its players on a groundbreaking new collective bargaining agreement.
But in the nearly 17 months it took for both sides to come to terms, Engelbert’s future as the league’s leader was challenged. As the WNBA prepares for its 30th season, the question remains as to whether Engelbert will continue after this one.
“We haven’t had those discussions yet with the WNBA board,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said when asked about her future Wednesday. “I would only say Cathy has done a fantastic job since she’s come to the WNBA. Obviously, you could see just in the results.””
Engelbert joined the WNBA in 2019 after more than 30 years at Deloitte, with the last four as CEO. Before her hire, the WNBA had operated with a league president, starting with Val Ackerman in 1996. Both roles reported to the NBA commissioner, with Engelbert still reporting to Silver.
Engelbert faced a crisis early in her tenure with the COVID-19 pandemic. The WNBA spent the years that followed navigating its way through lost revenue from 2020 and lower ticket sales in subsequent years with attendance restrictions. Since then, though, Engelbert has overseen rapid growth, helping secure nearly $1 billion in expansion fees in the last three years. But along the way she has made decisions that have come with heavy criticism.
The most questionable was her decision to sell a 16% stake in the league for the low price of $75 million in 2022. Roughly 20 months later, the Golden State Valkyries ownership group paid a $50 million expansion fee. That price tag grew to five times as much in 2025 when NBA ownership groups in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia all bought into the league at $250 million each.
The WNBA is now exploring buying back that 16% stake, multiple sources have told Front Office Sports.
The debate over whether Engelbert was the best person to lead the WNBA into the future reached a fever pitch in the fall when Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier blasted her publicly. During her exit interview following the Lynx semifinal loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Collier ripped Engelbert saying the real threat to the WNBA isn’t money, ratings, or poor officiating, “It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”
Collier said the league had the “worst leadership in the world” and went on to disclose details of a private conversation she had with Engelbert during which she claimed the commissioner said Caitlin Clark should be “grateful she makes $16 million off the court” because without the WNBA platform, she would make nothing.
Engelbert later denied Collier’s account.
During his media address following the Board of Governors meeting Silver said he’s spoken to WNBA players as well as owners, and both sides are pleased with how negotiations turned out. He also commended Engelbert’s work during her tenure saying “the results speak for themselves,” and that he and owners are “very happy with where things stand in the WNBA.” Silver alluded to the fact that the NBA owns more than 40% of the WNBA and that many NBA owners also own WNBA teams.
The WNBA season tips off May 8, and Engelbert appears poised to remain at the helm. Her future beyond 2026 is less certain.
“I haven’t had those discussions with Cathy even in terms of her future plans and how long she wants to do this,” Silver said.
Engelbert’s contractual status is unclear, and league officials did not immediately answer questions about if or when her deal expires.
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