Cathy Engelbert will be remembered as the commissioner who made the WNBA deeply political and divisive

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Friday that she would retire following the 2026 season after seven years in the role.

Engelbert took over in 2019 as the WNBA’s first commissioner, and there is no question the league is substantially bigger, more visible and more valuable than when she arrived. The league expanded, secured major media-rights agreements, introduced charter travel and negotiated significant increases in player compensation through a new collective bargaining agreement signed before the 2026 season.