Last week, Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, announced that she would be retiring from her role at the end of the year.
Engelbert, a New Jersey native, had been serving in the role of Commissioner since May of 2019. Engelbert was the first person to hold this role, as previous heads had the title of President.
According to ESPN, the hiring process will start later this month, and that presents a big question:
Who will take over her role as commissioner?
Here are four candidates you might see in this position:
Nneka Ogwumike
Ogwumike played at Stanford from 2008-2012 and has been a member of the league since 2012. Not to mention, Ogwumike recently announced she will be retiring at the end of the season. She has served as the WNBPA President for 10 years and has very strong relationships with players in the league, which would hopefully make negotiations smoother between the league and the players.
Swin Cash
Cash played at UConn from 1998-2002 and then played in the WNBA until 2016. Since then, she’s worked for the New York Liberty and the New Orleans Pelicans in their front offices. She is also a broadcast analyst for the WNBA. Cash has experience in the league, but fans online have raised the question of whether she has enough experience in leadership roles to take on the job of commissioner.
Candace Parker
Parker is also a former player who played at the University of Tennessee from 2004-2008 and then in the WNBA until her retirement in 2024. Now, Parker works as a sports broadcaster and is the president of Adidas Women’s Basketball. Her role as president, as well as the fact that she is a former player, would make her a great candidate. Parker is also well-known for the great relationships she has with the players on and off the court.
Mark Tatum
Tatum is the NBA’s deputy commissioner and Chief Operating Officer and has been in the role since 2014. Tatum also served as the interim president for the WNBA in 2019, before Engelbert took over. The Harvard Business School alum has experience working in a leadership role, as well as history of working with the WNBA, making him a great candidate for commissioner.
As the women’s sports landscape has evolved since the start of the WNBA, there is no doubt that the WNBA will continue to shape it as they hire the new leader of the league.