Cathy Engelbert will continue as WNBA commissioner, she says

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Without answering the question directly Cathy Engelbert indicated that she plans to continue to be the commissioner of the WNBA when the league’s next season begins in 2027.

Engelbert spoke to reporters and fielded a variety of questions on Saturday, July 25 ahead of the league's All-Star Game in Chicago.

“I'm so blessed to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hypergrowth period. So blessed that these players are putting the product on the court every night, that they stand for the values that the W has long sought for,” Engelbert said. “So, I will just continue to, you know, do my job and execute the strategy because it has been working … Absolutely, just love this league and blessed to have had the career I had before and the career I have now.”

It would be fair to call Engelbert an embattled commissioner on the day of the 2026 All-Star Game. She has faced criticism from players, media personalities and politicians when it comes to the league’s officiating, its handling of online harassment, player safety and other issues.

WNBA replay center coming to help address officiating

On one of those fronts, Engelbert announced that the WNBA will launch centralized replay center operations at the start of the 2027 season. The WNBA’s operation will leverage the NBA’s state-of-the-art Replay Center in Secaucus, New Jersey and serve as the hub for all reviewable replay situations during games.

“This is one of the most significant investments we've ever made in our basketball operations,” Engelbert said, adding that it cost “tens of millions of dollars.”

The replay center will provide on-court referees with immediate access to multiple camera angles and support from officials in Secaucus. The aim is to help on-court referees make more accurate and efficient decisions when reviewing plays.

Engelbert said the WNBA is still working to finalize the operational details and to implement the technologies in every arena.

“We're really excited about this project, the value it'll bring to the game and we have a lot of people working on it behind the scenes to bring it to fruition for the start of next season,” Engelbert said.

Cathy Engelbert addressed concerns about security, WNBA player safety

Engelbert has received criticism over the past several weeks regarding her response to Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas Aces’ guard Chelsea Gray being subjected to online harassment.

On July 21, Engelbert and leadership from the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) met for what the league called a “meaningful conversation” about the “recent increase in racist, hateful, and abusive messages directed at players.

“What too many players have experienced is unacceptable. The racism, the misogyny, the homophobia, the harassment, and threats directed to our players, has no place in sport or anywhere else. This is their workplace,” Engelbert said. The WNBA is built on inclusion and respect … Player safety will always be our top priority. That means every aspect of their experience.”

Engelbert added that the WNBA has “a variety of security measures and protocols in place” to help its players, but she acknowledged that there is “more work to do.”

Does the WNBA need a Rooney Rule?

This season marks just the third time in the WNBA’s 30-year history that it has not had a Black woman serving as a head coach of one of its teams. The other instances were in 2020 and 2006.

Asked if the WNBA needs a “Rooney Rule” — an NFL policy that requires teams to interview minorities for its head coaching positions — Engelbert didn’t directly answer the question and instead pointed to the number of former players who have become assistant coaches and passed the buck to the teams.

“I think we have 60% women coaches total, but I realize we work with our owners,” Engelbert said. “Owners and GMs make those decisions at the team level. There's not a meeting that I'm not with our owners talking about diversity and coaching and the pipeline — I think our pipeline is really strong, and ultimately, again, the owners and the GMs make those decisions.”

The WNBA has never been more popular, data shows

One of the few things Engelbert was able to celebrate rather than defend were the incredible viewership numbers the WNBA reported at its halfway point.

Engelbert said this is already the most-watched WNBA season of all-time and 29 games this season have had more than 1 million viewers. Compared to all of last season — which had just 11 games over the 1 million mark — and that’s a significant increase in eyeballs for the league. Engelbert said the WNBA has reached 73 million unique viewers this season, already eclipsing last year’s total of 63 million.

She credited some of the league’s growth in viewership due to the increased scoring, which Engelbert indicated is a product of improved officiating. WNBA offenses are on-pace to set all-time highs in points per-game.

“I think the quality of the game has never been higher, and fans are responding to the best basketball in the world through record engagement,” Engelbert said. “This season delivered historic performances. We’re reaching more fans than ever before.”

Engelbert added that more than 2.2 million fans have attended WNBA games so far this season, a 16% increase from this point last year.

What’s going on with the investigation into the Las Vegas Aces?

The WNBA had been investigating the Las Vegas Aces since the beginning of the 2024 season based on allegations that players received impermissible benefits, that the organization circumvented the league’s salary cap and that the Aces violated the collective bargaining agreement.

Asked for an update into that investigation more than two years later, Engelbert said the case is closed.

“We have wrapped that up for now and the WNBA has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to establish a salary cap circumvention violation and no discipline will be recommended or imposed,” Engelbert said. “Of course, if new or additional evidence comes to light, we'll continue to investigate, but you know the integrity of our game is No. 1 and the 2026 CBA had enhanced circumvention provisions in it as well.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cathy Engelbert will continue as WNBA commissioner, she says