Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of the calendar year, the league announced Friday. "Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women's sports," Engelbert said in a statement. "I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined."

Her retirement will be effective as of Dec. 31. Multiple high-ranking team sources had recently told ESPN that they believed the 2026 season would likely be Engelbert's last. While Engelbert, 61, has ushered the WNBA into what she has called "hypergrowth" mode, her leadership had come into question over the past year. Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier said Engelbert was "negligent" in her governance and that the WNBA had the "worst leadership in the world."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Engelbert insisted that the decision to leave was solely her own. "When I first came to the league I intended to do this for 3½ years," she said. "The 7½ years exceeded that time." She said she has been working on a succession plan over the past few years, with both internal and external candidates on the league's radar.

Tabbed the WNBA's first commissioner in May 2019, Engelbert has overseen a dramatic transformation. The league's media rights deals are worth $3.1 billion, the season will increase to a record 50 games, and 18 markets will have teams by 2030. In 2019, the average franchise value was $10 million; in 2026, it is about $460 million.