7 Candidates Are Emerging For Next WNBA Commissioner

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Sep 8, 2026 5:23 PM ET

The WNBA will have no shortage of options to replace commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Engelbert announced that she’ll be stepping away as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year. She’s been the league’s commissioner since 2019, but it wasn’t until 2024 that she started receiving relentless backlash from the fans and players.

“Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports,” Engelbert said in a statement. “I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined. 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.”

According to ESPN, the process to find Engelbert’s replacement will begin this month. The next commissioner will report to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

So who’ll replace Engelbert next season? ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel listed the following seven names as potential options for the job:

Swin Cash
Keia Clarke
Bethany Donaphin
Tanya Hvizdak
Nneka Ogwumike
Jess Smith
Mark Tatum

Jun 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike (30) shoots the ball in the first half against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn ImagesTrevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Could Nneka be the right fit?

Ogwumike, an 11-time WNBA All-Star and former MVP, will retire at the end of the 2026 season. She has already been asked if she’d have any interest in being WNBA commissioner.

“I don’t close doors, but I do appreciate vacation,” Ogwumike said. “There is so much that I don’t know, and there is so much that I would have to learn before even, if an opportunity like that were to come for me, to be ready for that.”

Going from an All-Star to league commissioner overnight would be quite the turnaround for Ogwumike. That being said, it’s possible the gig goes to a more experienced option like Swin Cash or Bethan Donaphin.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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