{"id":267663,"date":"2025-09-30T23:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T23:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/267663\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T23:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T23:06:10","slug":"wnbas-cathy-engelbert-likely-to-exit-as-commissioner-after-cba-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/267663\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA’s Cathy Engelbert likely to exit as commissioner after CBA talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well before Napheesa Collier said today the WNBA had \u201cthe worst leadership in the world,\u201d<\/a> multiple sources had told SBJ that Cathy Engelbert would likely exit as commissioner sometime after the current CBA negotiations<\/a> due to pressure inside NBA and WNBA circles. <\/p>\n

The sources said Engelbert\u2019s presumed departure, six years after arriving from Deloitte, is relationship driven, tied to the way she has dealt with colleagues and players amid unprecedented growth within the league. Today\u2019s comments from an influential player such as Collier<\/a> presumably won\u2019t help Engelbert\u2019s already unstable public standing and most likely exacerbated it. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe hasn\u2019t connected; she\u2019s not a relationship builder, which you have to be in that job with the teams, with the players,\u201d a source familiar with league office dynamics said last month. \u201cI think she\u2019s a wicked smart business person, and the success she gets a lot of credit for. But a commissioner has to have a personality element that can touch every constituent that they have. I think she\u2019s just lacking in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re where you are now, you have got to get through this labor negotiation. After that, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if she did a victory lap and rode off back into the corporate world somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

A WNBA spokesperson said tonight the sources\u2019 comments were \u201ccategorically false.\u201d Engelbert was unavailable for comment.<\/p>\n

Whether Collier\u2019s statements cement Engelbert\u2019s departure is unclear, and sources said her exit is not imminent and that it is possible she could decide to leave on her own. Sources also said any move by Engelbert would be unrelated to the league\u2019s present CBA standoff with the players\u2019 union<\/a>, although insiders believe there has been chronic distrust between Engelbert and her constituency since a September 2024 interview on CNBC in which she failed to denounce \u201chate speech\u201d directed at players on social media. She instead pointed to the popularity of rivalries, later apologizing to the players in a group letter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not a people person,\u201d said another source familiar with Engelbert. \u201cThat\u2019s not who she is. It has been an issue [before CBA negotiations].\u201d<\/p>\n

During her tenure, the WNBA has secured an 11-year, $2.2BM media rights deal<\/a>; franchise values have increased 180% year-over-year; and total revenue projections are reportedly set to hit $1B in 2025. But that did not have Collier holding back today, after suffering a hard foul in Game 3 of the WNBA conference finals Friday that led to a significant ankle injury. <\/p>\n

Collier began with criticism of the league\u2019s officiating, but her ensuing comments about Engelbert\u2019s leadership style \u2014which included phrases such as \u201ctone deaf\u201d and \u201cnegligence\u201d \u2014 were one of the rarer public rebukes of a sitting commissioner by an active player.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage,\u201d said Collier. \u201cYear after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cFans see it every night. Coaches, both winning and losing, point it out every night in pre- and post-game media. And leadership just issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging them to fix. That is negligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to Collier\u2019s comments, Engelbert issued the following statement through a WNBA spokesperson:<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA. Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league. My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game. I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Napheesa Collier\u2019s full statement today, where she challenged Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA with directness and stunning detail we rarely hear from active players. Worth listening to every word. pic.twitter.com\/IRTvTc52EA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Collier \u2014 who co-founded the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled<\/a> with Breanna Stewart and whose husband Alex Bazzell is league president \u2014 also provided play-by-play of a conversation she had with Engelbert seven months ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league,\u201d Collier said. \u201cHer response was, \u2018Well, only the losers complain about the refs.\u2019 I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin [Clark], Angel [Reese] and Paige [Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years. Her response was, \u2018Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn\u2019t make anything.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that same conversation, she told me, \u2018Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.\u2019 That\u2019s the mentality driving our league from the top. We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn\u2019t value us. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking specifically about Bazzell, Collier said, \u201cI have the privilege of watching my husband run a league where he has to balance 100 different things at once. I won\u2019t pretend the job is easy, but even with all of that on his plate, he always reaches out to players when he sees an injury, whether it\u2019s Unrivaled or even during the WNBA season. That is what leadership looks like. It\u2019s the human element, it\u2019s basic integrity, and it\u2019s the bare minimum any leader should embody. But do you know who I haven\u2019t heard from? Cathy. Not one call, not one text. Instead, the only outreach has come from her No. 2 telling my agent that she doesn\u2019t believe physical play is contributing to injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about Collier\u2019s comments before Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, Indiana\u2019s Lexie Hull told reporters: \u201cI think I agree with everything [Collier] said. We\u2019re at a really important time in the league and changes need to be made, and so you\u2019re seeing her talk about that and really proud of her for making that statement today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the messaging stands the same from the player\u2019s perspective is things need to change, reffing needs to change, leadership needs to change. I think our league is at a spot that it hasn\u2019t been in the past 10 years. We\u2019re growing exponentially and we need change to mirror that. And I think where the players see the league going is different than where leadership sees the league going. And somehow we need to see that aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n