Cathy Engelbert is retiring as WNBA commissioner, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Friday.
Her tenure leading the league is over at the end of 2026.
Silver hired Engelbert to be the WNBA’s first commissioner in 2019, and she oversaw two major labor negotiations. Three new teams have entered the league, and three more are set to join by the end of the decade.
“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” Engelbert said in a statement. The announcement said Engelbert came to the league with her decision to retire.
The WNBA is currently on an international break for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin. Team USA defeated China earlier Friday 94–61 in the first game of the tournament.
