NEW YORK — The search for the next commissioner of the WNBA is unofficially underway.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his colleagues have not begun interviewing candidates, but calls about job openings are coming in from Cathy Engelbert announced her retirement earlier this month.
“I can tell by the calls how much more attractive this business is and how much more attractive it will be in 2027 than it was in 2019,” Silver said. The Athletic on Tuesday.
The recruiting process will begin in earnest after the league names a search firm — which it is currently working on making selections. Because the NBA has a controlling ownership interest in the WNBA, Silver will execute the lease with the WNBA Board of Governors. He said it’s important to identify the person who can lead the WNBA through a new era.
“We’re at a stage in this league where it’s understandable that there’s going to be some tension around collective bargaining,” he said. “Now that we have a long-term agreement, we need someone to help unite players with players and players with ownership. I see that opportunity.”
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Silver tapped Engelbert, a former Deloitte executive, to be the WNBA’s first commissioner — all of her predecessors have served in the role of president — in 2019. Her contract expires at the end of the calendar year, and she will not stay on until 2027 to help with the transition of power, according to a source familiar with her contract who has not publicly discussed the terms of the contract.
Engelbert’s seven-year tenure was marked by exponential growth and financial success. She helped usher in the expansion era, as the WNBA will grow to 18 teams by 2030, and she oversaw two transformational collective bargaining agreements. But Engelbert has also dealt with intense scrutiny, largely for what many players, owners and team executives have described as poor relationship-building skills.
Off-court issues have taken center stage this season, from online harassment of players to the discourse surrounding the hypothetical inclusion of transgender athletes in the WNBA. The league’s largely reactive approach was another point of concern for Engelbert’s critics.
Silver said he sees Engelbert’s role as “more than symbolism,” but WNBA insiders expressed skepticism about how much power she wields on her own.
Under Engelbert, the staff dedicated exclusively to the WNBA has grown from roughly 12 employees in 2019 to nearly 100, according to a league source familiar with the growth who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Still, Silver indicated that the next commissioner, like Engelbert, will not have full autonomy in that role.
“Having been involved with the WNBA for 30 years, I think there are tremendous benefits to running an integrated operation,” Silver said. “There are also aspects of the league that I think are best run independently.”
Silver said matters surrounding the game itself, such as overseeing CBA discussions, potential rule changes and player concerns, should be under the “direct control of the WNBA commissioner.” However, he said, “I oversee a larger organization.”
Silver said it’s possible the WNBA could operate more independently from the NBA in the future. Ultimately, he said, the WNBA benefits from the leagues working in tandem.
“Maybe I say this a little defensively; I don’t think it interfered with the WNBA at all,” he said of the integrated operations.
