WNBA commissioner plays gender card when asked about future

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has been nether the spotlight for astir a twelvemonth arsenic she navigated the league done a stressful corporate bargaining statement earlier the commencement of the 2026 season.

Engelbert addressed the media Monday nighttime arsenic the WNBA Draft was acceptable to instrumentality place. She raised eyebrows among reporters and fans connected societal media with a effect to a pugnacious question she received.

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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks astatine the WNBA hoops draught successful New York connected April 13, 2026. (Pamela Smith/AP)

She was asked astir her aboriginal arsenic commissioner and responded by playing the sex card.

"I bash ace up however everybody's focused connected me, and you should beryllium focused connected the hundreds of astonishing women and thousands of women who tally this league extracurricular of myself," she said, via USA Today. "I admit that you're focused connected maine arsenic well. I wonderment if you would inquire that of a man, by the way, but I recognize arsenic women we get asked antithetic questions than men do."

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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks earlier the WNBA hoops draught successful New York connected April 13, 2026. (Pamela Smith/AP)

Some societal media users, including columnist Jemele Hill, agreed that she would person gotten the aforesaid question if she were a man.

Engelbert is successful an exclusive nine of pistillate commissioners of nonrecreational sports. Jessica Berman is the commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League. Meanwhile, commissioners successful each different league look pugnacious questions during their ain property conferences successful cardinal points of the year.

But Engelbert received the brunt of the disapproval going into CBA negotiations. The players called connected the league to wage its players much successful a objection during the WNBA All-Star Game.

Minnesota Lynx prima Napheesa Collier blasted WNBA arsenic having the "worst leadership" astatine the extremity of the 2025 season.

Still, Engelbert is inactive the commissioner of the WNBA done the latest CBA. She added Monday nighttime that the CBA inactive needs to beryllium finalized.

She besides said the league was looking up to the aboriginal and hoped the league would beryllium capable to instrumentality the WNBA overseas whether it’s a regular-season oregon accumulation game.

UCLA halfway Lauren Betts poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected 4th wide by the Washington Mystics successful the archetypal circular of the WNBA draught successful New York connected April 13, 2026. (Pamela Smith/AP)

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"We’re heavy looking astatine that," Engelbert said. "Obviously this twelvemonth we person the FIBA World Cup. Next twelvemonth we expect that we’ll bash thing extracurricular of North America arsenic a existent planetary game."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.