Cathy Engelbert will be remembered as the commissioner who made the WNBA deeply political and divisive

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Friday that she would retire following the 2026 season after seven years in the role.

Engelbert took over in 2019 as the WNBAs first commissioner, and there is no question the league is substantially bigger, more visible and more valuable than when she arrived. The league expanded, secured major media-rights agreements, introduced charter travel and negotiated significant increases in player compensation through a new collective bargaining agreement signed before the 2026 season. Commissioner Adam Silver has called Engelberts tenure the most significant period of growth in WNBA history. But does she deserve credit for these successes? I believe the answer is clear.

Being commissioner isnt simply about revenue, television ratings or franchise valuations. A commissioner must also maintain relationships with the players, and those relationships have been objectively tumultuous throughout Engelberts tenure. She must protect the leagues reputation and its stars, an area in which she has also fallen short. She must manage controversies, something she has repeatedly failed to do. Finally, she must ensure the on-court product is entertaining and credible, which is arguably the strongest case in her favor.

It goes without saying that Engelberts tenure has become increasingly contentious, helping lead to her decision to retire.

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Engelberts first major test came almost immediately. The COVID-19 pandemic threatened the 2020 season, but the WNBA successfully created the "Wubble" — a play on words combining WNBA and bubble — in Florida and completed the season.

While it was a success that the season was able to be played, the league also embraced an increasingly prominent social-justice role. I truly believe this is where the WNBA became the most politically divisive league in America. Players wore social-justice messages, including support for criminal Jacob Blake and Black Lives Matter, which was led by self-described Marxists, and the league partnered with players on racial-justice initiatives. Engelbert allowed all of this to happen and disenfranchised fans who didnt care for the overt political messaging when they turned to sports as an escape.

Engelbert also allowed herself and the league to be bullied by radical left-wing activist players who ousted Atlanta Dream owner and Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler while publicly supporting Raphael Warnock through "Vote Warnock" T-shirts on the court because Loeffler publicly opposed the leagues Black Lives Matter messaging.

When the league could have focused on basketball, Engelbert helped the WNBA become completely intertwined with left-wing politics.

One of the most serious controversies of Engelbert's tenure involved former Las Vegas Aces star Dearica Hamby.

Hamby alleged that she experienced bullying and mistreatment after revealing that she was pregnant. The WNBA investigated the situation and determined that the Aces had violated league rules concerning impermissible benefits during contract negotiations involving Hamby.

The league punished Las Vegas by taking away a first-round draft pick and suspending coach Becky Hammon for two games.

The controversy raised a larger question about how seriously professional sports organizations protect pregnant athletes.

It also placed Engelbert in the uncomfortable position of having to de