WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at | College News
Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of the 12 months, ending a tenure of seven-plus years that noticed both great growth and some turmoil for the league.
“In 2019, I had the privilege of being appointed the league’s first commissioner and to lead a league with enormous potential yet untapped awareness and significant undervaluation,” Engelbert said in a assertion launched by the WNBA. “Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports.”
Engelbert, 61, told the Associated Press that she has been contemplating retirement for months and wasn’t pressured into making the choice by NBA or WNBA stakeholders. She added that she will help with discovering the next commissioner and with the transition period that follows.
“We’ll run a real succession process in the remaining four months,” Engelbert told AP. “If we don’t find someone, I’ll stay on.”
During Engelbert’s tenure, the WNBA has skilled report TV rankings and sturdy attendance, with a profitable media rights deal being finalized this 12 months and plans in place for enlargement to 18 groups by 2030. An inflow of gifted and in style younger gamers — including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers — helped along those strains.
Engelbert also helped the league and its gamers’ union agree on a new collective bargaining settlement this spring, ensuing in the first million-dollar salaries for WNBA gamers.
Still, the negotiations main up to the CBA had been strained at occasions. Other points surrounding the league — including participant security, the eligibility of transgender gamers, and the inconsistency of on-court officers — have induced some to query Engelbert’s management capability.
“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in the WNBA’s news release. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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