WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike issued a statement after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that she will retire at the end of the 2026 season.

Engelbert's decision was announced Friday. Her retirement will become official on Dec. 31, 2026.

"Cathy Engelbert stepped into the WNBA at a pivotal moment and helped guide the league through a period of extraordinary change," Ogwumike said in a statement.

Ogwumike, who is also set to retire from her playing career with the Los Angeles Sparks after this season, praised Engelbert for what the commissioner helped build during her seven-year tenure.

"As the league's first Commissioner, she championed new growth initiatives, created innovative marketing opportunities for players, and helped drive historic expansion as franchise values reached new heights," Ogwumike added, as shared by ESPN's Alexa Philippou on X.

When Engelbert was appointed in 2019, the average WNBA franchise was valued at roughly $10 million. Now, that average team valuation sits at approximately $460 million.

After staying locked at 12 teams for nearly two decades, the WNBA established a direct path to 18 franchises by 2030 during Engelbert’s run.

It welcomed new markets including the Golden State Valkyries, Toronto, Portland, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.

The regular season expanded to 44 games in 2025 and will climb to a 50-game schedule starting in 2027.

"That expansion speaks to the growing confidence among investors, partners, fans, communities, the players, and to the long-term sustainability of women's basketball as a business," Ogwumike praised in the same statement.

The league signed an 11-year, $3.1 billion broadcast deal with Disney, NBC, Amazon, and other partners.

Beyond that, Engelbert helped navigate two transformational collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). The first in January 2020 and the second in March 2026.

The most recent CBA agreement introduced the league's first $1 million player salaries alongside a comprehensive revenue-sharing model.

She also introduced the Commissioner's Cup in 2021 and helped bring full-time charter travel to the entire league in 2024.

In 2022, Engelbert secured a historic $75 million capital raise by selling a 16% stake in the league to outside investors to fund long-term digital, marketing, and global expansion.

But leading through all that change was not easy

Engelbert faced some of the strongest criticism of her tenure over the past year.

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier publicly called the WNBA's leadership 'the worst leadership in the world' and accused Engelbert of being 'negligent' in her governance, per ESPN.

There was also criticism around online abuse aimed at players, communication between league officials and teams, and how the league responded when problems appeared.

Those issues became especially important during the CBA negotiations.

Engelbert later said there were inaccuracies in some of the claims made about her.

Yet as she prepares to walk away, Engelbert has embraced the pushback as the catalyst that forced the league to evolve.

“Leading through this much change is no small undertaking, and I have great respect for the commitment Cathy brought to the role. We appreciate all she has given to the WNBA and the stronger foundation she leaves for the league and the players,” Ogwumike said in her statement.

Sources told ESPN that the formal search for Engelbert's successor will kick off later this month, if not sooner.

While Engelbert has declined to endorse a specific successor, she confirmed that the league is evaluating both internal and external candidates.

Written by

Md Saife Fida