In the darkest days of the past 12 months, full of public vitriol and a contentious labor negotiation, Cathy Engelbert leaned on teachings and advice she had gathered over 40-plus years in corporate America. One leader who has stuck with her for more than a decade is retired four-star admiral Bill McRaven, who went viral for a 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas where he shared life lessons from his Navy SEAL training.
McRaven's most well-known piece of advice is "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed." But Engelbert focused on another teaching from McRaven. "It's easy to lead in good times," Engelbert told ESPN in a phone interview last week.
"Where leaders really emerge in my experience ... is when you're your best in your darkest moments, and you don't give up." Engelbert has navigated numerous challenges in her seven years as WNBA commissioner, from two collective bargaining negotiations to a global pandemic and social unrest to inheriting a business with, in her words, "no money, no scale, no capability." Yet, she might be living the darkest moments of her tenure now.
A tempest surrounding her leadership emerged last fall when Napheesa Collier , one of the league's biggest stars, said in an explosive end-of-season interview that Engelbert was "negligent" in her governance and that the WNBA had the "worst leadership in the world." Nearly 10 months later, what should be a celebratory summer of the league's 30th season, of the W's brilliant star power, and of making it through strenuous labor negotiations with a historic agreement, has instead felt like one of exasperation. Players, teams and fans consistently -- and loudly -- voice frustrations over officiating, and divisive discourse and increased harassment toward players seem never-ending.
An in-game incident last month when Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas pushed her fist onto Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark 's throat especially galvanized fans and critics. Even the league's retroactive assessment of Thomas getting a flagrant 2 foul and one-game suspension turned into a spectacle: Reports said NBA commissioner Adam Silver stepped in to advise Engelbert that Thomas should be suspended; Thomas, who said the play was "a complete accident" and cited harassment and death threats in the days after, called out Engelbert for "remain[ing] silent." Two weeks later, a group of Congressional Republicans sent a letter to Engelbert demanding "accountability" for "multiple attacks" on Clark, who's increasingly become a political lightning rod.
All of it, plus Engelbert's perceived absence publicly and in league circles, has renewed the referendum on her leadership. "Here we are with all this stuff that's happened," one team executive told ESPN, "and it just, at different points, has felt like, 'Where are you?'" Conversations with more than 20 stakeholders in and around the WNBA who spoke on the condition of anonymity, including owners, management, players and other industry insiders, offer a general belief that for as much business growth Engelbert has overseen, she's not the right person to navigate the demands the league currently faces and what its stakeholders now need.
"I do think Cathy thinks, well, she's done her job. She got us financially set up the right way," another team executive said.
"It's the other pieces that we're talking about." Multiple high-ranking team sources told ESPN they believe the 2026 season likely will be Engelbert's last. "The hole has just gotten so deep," said Jeff Hunt, a specialist in crisis and reputation management who has previously worked with MLB, ATP, WTA and the PGA Tour.
"She's in a place now where I don't really know what she does." Engelbert has deflected questions about her future as commissioner, including those from ESPN last week. "I'm focused head-down on executing this highly, highly successful 30th season," Engelbert said.
"I love this league. We're going to continue to drive the business.
And don't worry about me. It's more about the team ...
that's what we've built here at the W. So, I'm really, really optimistic about where we're going in the future." The question is whether she'll be part of it.
IN MAY 2019, when Engelbert was named the first commissioner of the WNBA -- the title for former leaders was "president" -- Silver lauded the 33-year Deloitte professional and former CEO as a "world-class business leader" who could bring "revenue generation, sharp entrepreneurial i