NEW YORK -- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she “feels really good” about her relationship with the players as the league looks to move forward after a contentious labor negotiation. A seven-year labor deal through 2032 that features the first multimillion-dollar contracts in league history might have won over the players who had openly questioned the league’s leadership and Engelbert specifically.
Engelbert said the CBA long form, a document of 400-500 pages, should be completed “in the near term.” “Obviously there was a lot of postering going on, but I’m proud of what we accomplished together, and know we’re in a good spot,” she said in her annual pre-draft availability.
However, Engelbert did not take kindly to a question about her future, openly wondering if her gender played a role in the issue being repeatedly raised. “I wonder whether you would ask that of a man, by the way,” Engelbert replied to a female reporter. “But I realize as women we get asked different questions than men do. But look, I’m so proud of this league, and I’m here working really hard to make the 30th season our best ever and continue to build that sustainable economic model that we know we need for the future.”
Prior to a labor deal being reached, SBJ had reported that Engelbert was likely to exit following the CBA due to deteriorating relationships both inside and outside of the NBA league office. On March 25, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised Engelbert, though he added that talks had not begun as to whether she would return to her post in 2027.
On Monday, she skirted around the issue of how long she wants to remain commissioner. “Nothing to report, which is probably why Adam didn’t report anything,” Engelbert said. “There’s no story here. I’m thrilled with our trajectory; I’m thrilled with the growth; I’m thrilled with what we’ve done over the past couple years, and really looking forward to the next few years.”
One of the next key areas of focus for the league will be globalization. “Next year I think you should expect that we’re hopefully going to do something outside of North America for the first time as a truly global game,” Engelbert said.
Look for more coverage of the WNBA Draft in Tuesday’s Women’s Sports Newsletter.
