WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert retiring at the end of this year

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of this year, the league announced Friday.

Engelbert, 61, has been the commissioner since July 2019.

“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” she said in a statement. “I am grateful to the WNBA and NBA team owners and staff, players, investors, fans and the powerhouse league office staff, who believed in what this league could become. I retire with immense gratitude and tremendous optimism for the future of the WNBA, with the best yet to come.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver added, via his own statement: “Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history. We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”

Engelbert’s tenure has been marked by both massive growth for the league and tensions between players and the league office.

Last September, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier blasted Engelbert, saying the WNBA had “the worst leadership in the world.”

“The real threat to our league isn’t money,” Collier said at the time. “It isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports