The WNBA’s final regular season stretch on hold due to the World Cup, but that didn’t stop WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert from making a significant announcement on Friday.
Engelbert revealed that she will be retiring at the end of the season. Engelbert’s announcement was generally celebrated, as many in the WNBA community believe she should have exited a while ago. However, several prominent analysts believe there’s more to the story.
WNBA Analysts Believe There’s More to Cathy Engelbert’s Retirement Announcement
Several WNBA analysts believe Engelbert may not be sharing the whole story regarding her retirement. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said, “‘Retiring'” as if to suggest that it wasn’t her call. ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel added, “‘Decided.'”
Both comments indicate skepticism that Engelbert’s retirement is her call, hinting that she may have been forced out.
Clay Travis offered the strongest opinion, saying “Cathy Engelbert is ‘retiring’ aka being fired. So the WNBA will have a new Commissioner.”
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has decided to retire at the end of the season, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2026
Engelbert has served as WNBA Commissioner since 2019 and helped pass two landmark Collective Bargaining Agreements that transformed the league. While analysts are theorizing that she was forced out, she insists that retiring at the end of this year was always her goal.
“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,” she told The IX Sports.
“[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.”
Under Engelbert, WNBA franchise values have skyrocketed and the newest media rights deal has dramatically increased the league’s salary structure, allowing star players to sign million-dollar contracts.
Engelbert has also helped structure a historic revenue-sharing model in women’s sports. However, for all of her accomplishments, she was generally unpopular with players and fans, who openly looked forward to her exit.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier strongly criticized Engelbert at the end of last season, while saying the WNBA has the worst leadership in the world and things won’t improve until changes are made.
Numerous reports leaked after Collier’s statement that indicated Engelbert generally had a poor line of communication with players. Multiple star players, such as Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, revealed they had no relationship with Engelbert.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark spoke diplomatically about Engelbert, crediting her with league milestones while noting “room for improvement,” but pointedly emphasized a stronger relationship with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, which some read as a disconnect.
Some WNBA players also felt Engelbert’s public statements were questionable, and she received heavy criticism for failing to properly condemn the harassment that players said they were subjected to on a regular basis.
Travis and others were unhappy with Engelbert for what they felt was a lack of public support for Clark and for failing to condemn opposing players who they believed targeted Clark and tried to injure her.
With Engelbert being unpopular with generally every part of the WNBA community, analysts like Portnoy, Siegel, and Travis find it difficult to believe she’s exiting on her own terms.
