Cathy Engelbert will end her seven-year tenure as the WNBA’s first commissioner in December after announcing her retirement. ESPN reported that the search for her successor is expected to begin later this month, if not sooner, after Engelbert submitted a succession plan and a list of potential internal and external candidates to NBA commissioner Adam Silver. But one person who has already ruled herself out is Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve.

“Absolutely not,” Reeve said when asked whether she would consider becoming the WNBA’s next commissioner, MPR News’ Anika Besst reported.

During Engelbert’s time in charge, the WNBA’s financial picture changed significantly. She helped lead a $75 million capital raise, which was viewed as an important move for the league. The WNBA later secured an 11-year media rights deal reportedly worth $3 billion, its first billion-dollar media agreement.

The league also reached a landmark CBA with the WNBPA in 2026. The deal increased the salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million, while the super-max salary jumped to $1.4 million from $249,244 in 2025, according to ESPN.

While Engelbert oversaw significant financial growth, league executives criticized her handling of controversies. They also questioned her ability to build trust with owners and stakeholders. One of the executives told Sports Business Journal that the Commissioner’s role needed to have a base with people.

“You don’t necessarily make a lot of friends along the way. That’s not the point,” Reeve said. “But you have to have the ability to collaborate and connect with people, and to do your job and to sort of steward the path of the WNBA.”

Reeve actually wouldn’t have been a bad shout for the job. Four WNBA championships, the most wins of any head coach in league history, and a front-office role as the Lynx’s president of basketball operations give her quite the resume.

But that’s not a path Reeve wants to take. She has no personal interest in becoming the commissioner. Instead, she has outlined what she wants to see from whoever eventually takes over the role.

Cheryl Reeve Details What the Next WNBA Commissioner Must Bring

“Most people don’t know the full scope of a commissioner’s job, and I think that there’s a lot of boxes maybe the person, an ideal person, could check,” she said, per reporter Cassidy Hettesheimer on X. “I’d probably start with relationships. I think in anything we do, it’s all sales, framing, etc.

Engelbert served as CEO of Deloitte before she took over the role. She knew how to handle the business side. However, it was the relationship part with owners, executives, and her star players that she fell short on. Cheryl Reeve wants the next WNBA Commissioner to have that balance.

“I think your key stakeholders having the buy-in and, you know, at least have a pulse on things. I think that’s important,” she said. “So you can’t just be a business person. You can’t just be a relationship person. There’s a lot of boxes you have to check.

“It’s a thankless job as well. It’s a hard job… This is a tremendous time in our league to become a steward, somebody that we can all kind of look to guide in terms of how we want to treat each other, and that’s with everybody, whether it’s business, basketball, whether it’s players or executives or league personnel. I think we could use a real strong dose of chemistry throughout the entire league.”

Reeve is not alone in wanting that balance in the next WNBA commissioner. According to several executives in the league, the financial side is mostly meeting its end. The average valuation of a team has reached $400 million, and the money is still coming in. However, it’s the “goodwill” that the league needs right now. 

“Whoever vets the candidates for WNBA commissioner should start with someone who can work a locker room and a corporate room, someone who can mesmerize the masses with a speech,” the executives said, per SBJ.

Engelbert had come under fire for her absence from big WNBA moments, including controversies. In her term, she never attended the Indiana Fever games since Caitlin Clark joined the league. Engelbert also faced strong criticism from Napheesa Collier last year, with the Lynx star labeling her leadership “the worst leadership in the world” and accusing her of being “negligent.”

This season, Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas slammed Engelbert for not intervening amid online harassment and threats. Tensions reached a boiling point after the WNBA’s transgender participation controversy.

Having relationships with players, executives, and ownership would have allowed the leadership to have tough conversations and perhaps avoid things getting out of hand. It is one of the desirable aspects that the league has found unanimity on.

So, if Reeve isn’t interested, who could be next in line? A few familiar names have already emerged as potential replacements.

The Names in the Running to Replace Cathy Engelbert

Swin Cash

Swin Cash has emerged as one of the names in the conversation to replace Cathy Engelbert, and there are plenty of reasons why. She knows the WNBA from both sides of the table, spending 15 years as a player and winning three championships before making the transition into basketball management.

Cash has taken on several executive roles over the years, including Director of Franchise Development with the New York Liberty and multiple front-office positions with the New Orleans Pelicans.

However, recent resurfaced tweets from Cash could complicate her path to the commissioner’s office.

Bethany Donaphin

WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin is another name gaining attention in the race to replace Cathy Engelbert. She has held the position since 2018 and oversees playing rules, scouting, scheduling, and venue compliance. And Donaphin’s resume goes well beyond her current role.

She previously worked in NBA Basketball Operations and, like Engelbert, also spent time at Deloitte. That combination of basketball and business experience helped earn her a spot on Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” list in 2020.

Nneka Ogwumike

Now this is a fan favorite option! The Sparks icon is set to retire at the end of the season and brings a decade of experience as WNBPA president to the table. Ogwumike played a major role in helping players secure the landmark CBA, and her relationship with the players could be one of her biggest strengths.

But Ogwumike doesn’t have the same level of business experience as some of the other names in the conversation, which could explain why she has been downplaying the possibility of taking over as commissioner.

“I personally don’t think I’m qualified for it,” Ogwumike said. “But it doesn’t mean that maybe in years to come that an opportunity like that could come and I feel a little bit more comfortable.”

Names like New York Liberty CEO Keia Clarke and Nike Vice President of Global Sports Marketing Tanya Hvizdak have also been linked to the role. Now, it’s simply a matter of waiting to see who eventually gets the call.

WNBA fans will be hoping whoever gets the job can balance the business side with player relationships, just as Cheryl Reeve pointed out.