The controversies surrounding the WNBA and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reached a fever pitch in recent weeks. And for WNBA analyst Ben Daniel, this may not just be another rough patch; it could be the beginning of the end of Engelbert’s tenure.
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According to Daniel, the nail in the coffin was Engelbert’s deeply flawed handling of the Alyssa Thomas fist-to-the-throat foul against Caitlin Clark. That was a situation that, in his view, made the WNBA look bad and, by extension, the NBA as well.
“Cathy Engelbert, this is your final year,” Daniel said on Wednesday’s episode of his podcast. “Adam Silver is getting ready to fire her come year’s end. This Alyssa Thomas-Caitlin Clark situation appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Cathy Engelbert not only makes the WNBA look bad by not showing up to the Dan Patrick interview. The WNBA being under the umbrella of the NBA, in turn, you’re making the NBA look bad. You’re making Adam Silver look bad as well.”
Daniel even claimed that in addressing the Thomas situation, Cathy Engelbert initially did not want to issue a suspension to Thomas for the foul at all. And her decision to decline her scheduled appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, where she could have addressed the wave of controversy head-on, was, in his view, another damaging factor in what has become an increasingly difficult position for the commissioner to recover from.
However, it is important to note that all of Daniel’s claims appear to be speculation at best. There is no official statement or definitive evidence that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is preparing to fire Cathy Engelbert.
What does add a degree of plausibility to the conversation, however, is the fact that Engelbert is reportedly in the final year of her contract, which expires at the end of 2026. So her long-term future in the role remains officially unconfirmed.
Did Adam Silver Appoint Cathy Engelbert, and Does He Have the Authority to Fire the WNBA Commissioner?
The natural question to ask amid this rumour is whether NBA Commissioner Adam Silver actually has the authority to remove Cathy Engelbert from her position. And the straightforward answer is yes, though with important nuance.
Adam Silver appointed Cathy Engelbert and oversees her role as WNBA leader. He announced her hiring in May 2019, when she became the league’s first “Commissioner” after a succession of previous “Presidents,” marking a clear shift in how the position is defined and perceived.
Under the structure created at the time, Engelbert reports directly to Silver while the WNBA’s own corporate leadership manages day‑to‑day operations. Silver still sits above that framework, shaping the league’s direction and ultimately influencing how stable her position really is.
With Engelbert now in the final year of her contract, the decision to renew or let it lapse rests with Silver and the WNBA Board of Governors. If they chose to remove her before the deal ends, any formal dismissal would come through a joint move by the commissioner and the board, raising the stakes on every controversy that touches her tenure.
Whether any of that is actually in motion remains unconfirmed. But the combination of a contract year, mounting public pressure, and an escalating series of controversies means the question of Engelbert’s future is not going away anytime soon.