{"id":886426,"date":"2026-09-07T06:44:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T06:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/886426\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T06:44:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T06:44:25","slug":"commissioner-cathy-engelberts-wnba-exit-sparks-reaction-as-players-reportedly-want-different-leadership-international-sports-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/886426\/","title":{"rendered":"Commissioner Cathy Engelbert\u2019s WNBA exit sparks reaction as players reportedly want \u2018different leadership\u2019 | International Sports News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CommissionerCommissioner Cathy Engelbert\u2019s WNBA exit sparks reaction as players reportedly want \u2018different leadership\u2019 Cathy Engelbert will step down as WNBA commissioner at the end of 2026, closing a seven-year tenure that brought the league record growth but also intense criticism. The 61-year-old became the WNBA\u2019s first commissioner in 2019 and leaves after overseeing expansion, media deals and a new collective bargaining agreement that dramatically increased player pay. Yet her relationship with players became strained over salaries, officiating, Caitlin Clark\u2019s treatment and other league policies. According to the Daily Mail, some players are privately pleased by her departure, believing the WNBA now needs different leadership for its next stage.<\/p>\n

Cathy Engelbert leaves WNBA after years of growth and conflict<\/p>\n

Engelbert announced her retirement on September 4, saying she will leave the position at the end of the calendar year. Her departure comes during the most successful commercial period in WNBA history, but also after several seasons of difficult conversations between the league office and its players.When Engelbert took over in 2019, the WNBA was looking for ways to grow its audience and business. Since then, the league has expanded from 12 teams toward an 18-team league by 2030, introduced charter travel for teams and secured major media and investment deals. The league also agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement this year that includes major salary increases and benefits for players.Engelbert described her time in charge as a period of a \u201cmassive cultural surge\u201d around women\u2019s sports. She said she was leaving with \u201ctremendous optimism\u201d about the WNBA\u2019s future.But the business success did not always translate into a smooth relationship with the players.The league spent months dealing with tense CBA negotiations, with players publicly pushing for better compensation before an agreement was finally reached. Engelbert also faced criticism over officiating, the way the league handled issues involving Caitlin Clark and other disputes that repeatedly placed her at the center of attention. ESPN reported that the labor negotiations included months of public disagreement between players and league leadership.The Daily Mail reported that some players are privately happy to see Engelbert leave, with one source claiming that the feeling among certain players could be stronger than what they are willing to say publicly. The source argued that the league’s rapid growth means its next commissioner will need to manage an even bigger spotlight.That view contrasts with the official reaction from the players’ union.<\/p>\n

Nneka Ogwumike and Terri Carmichael Jackson praise Engelbert\u2019s tenure<\/p>\n

WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike offered a measured response to Engelbert\u2019s announcement, highlighting the commissioner\u2019s role in guiding the league through a period of major change.\u201cCathy Engelbert stepped into the WNBA at a pivotal moment and helped guide the league through a period of extraordinary change,\u201d Ogwumike said.She credited Engelbert with supporting growth initiatives, marketing opportunities and expansion while noting that franchise values had reached new heights. Ogwumike, who is also retiring after the 2026 season, said the league had been left with a stronger foundation.WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson was even more direct about the complicated relationship between the union and Engelbert.\u201cCathy and I have been through a lot together over the years. We didn’t always agree,\u201d she said.Carmichael Jackson nevertheless praised Engelbert\u2019s business experience and pointed to the two collective bargaining agreements completed during her tenure. She said both sides faced major challenges but continued looking for ways forward.Engelbert\u2019s exit also immediately produced an unexpected contender for her job. Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom launched his own tongue-in-cheek campaign to become commissioner, saying he wanted to \u201cMake WNBA Female Again.\u201d\u201cCommissioner Freedom has a nice ring to it,\u201d he added.Freedom has already attracted attention through his criticism of the WNBA\u2019s transgender athlete policies and his stated desire to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.His comments are unlikely to represent a serious path to the commissioner\u2019s office, but they show how politically charged the league\u2019s leadership debate has become.For the WNBA, the challenge now is finding someone who can preserve the growth Engelbert helped create while improving the relationship between league leadership and the players who have driven much of its recent popularity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Commissioner Cathy Engelbert\u2019s WNBA exit sparks reaction as players reportedly want \u2018different leadership\u2019 Cathy Engelbert will step down…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":886427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,307459,303858,307460,82,630,27804,307461],"class_list":["post-886426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cathy-engelbert-wnba-commissioner","tag-enes-kanter-freedom-wnba","tag-nneka-ogwumike-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba","tag-wnba-collective-bargaining-agreement","tag-wnba-player-reaction-engelbert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=886426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/886427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=886426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=886426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=886426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}