On Friday morning, the WNBA announced that Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will be retiring at the end of this year.
But the interesting thing is that her exit wasn’t some sudden decision made overnight. It’s something she’d apparently been sitting with for a while.
Cathy Engelbert’s Breaks Silence Regarding Her Retirement as WNBA Commissioner
In a conversation with “The IX Sports,” Engelbert opened up about the timeline that led her here. She said that when she first walked into the job, she never expected to stay this long.
Her original plan was to stick around for about three-and-a-half years. Instead, that stretch has turned into seven-and-a-half years.
Beyond the timeline, Engelbert also shared something more personal. She said retiring at 62 was always the plan, and she’s set to hit that age this coming November. So in her mind, this isn’t backlash pushing her out the door. It’s simply her following through on a goal she’d already set for herself years ago.
“I had only intended to do this job for three-and-a-half years. I did. It’ll be seven-and-a-half by the end of the year, and obviously, I turned 62 in November.”
“[It] was always my goal to retire at 62, and I just feel like we’re in a really good place from a variety of perspectives on the league. Obviously, it’s been an incredible seven and a half years. It’s been a great privilege,” she added.
Engelbert became the first commissioner in WNBA history when she was appointed to the position on May 15, 2019, and officially took office on July 17 of that year. Before joining the league, she had spent 33 years at Deloitte and served as the company’s CEO from 2015 to 2019.
While Engelbert has faced plenty of criticism over the way she has handled the league, it is difficult to deny the growth that has taken place during her time in charge.
During Engelbert’s tenure, the WNBA has gone through a major transformation. Viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, digital engagement, sponsorships, and franchise values all reached new heights. The league has also announced plans to expand from 12 teams when Engelbert arrived to 18 by 2030.
Viewership has surged dramatically during her time in charge, with the league seeing roughly a 454% increase since she became commissioner.
Perhaps one of the biggest achievements of her tenure was the league’s latest collective bargaining agreement. In early 2026, Engelbert helped lead negotiations for a landmark seven-year CBA with the players’ union.
The agreement introduced a comprehensive revenue-sharing model, with players receiving about 20% of shared basketball revenue. It also raised the team salary cap to $7 million and set maximum contracts at $1.4 million.
So while her leadership style has clearly rubbed some people the wrong way, the results speak for themselves.
