Five WNBA commissioner candidates to replace Cathy Engelbert: Could it be Swin Cash?
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Cathy Engelbert’s tenure as WNBA commissioner is coming to an end, so who will replace her? USA TODAY Sports has five picks for the next WNBA commissioner.
But first, here's a recap of what happened — all the good, bad and controversial — with Cathy Engelbert in charge.
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Cathy Engelbert's success and failures as WNBA commissioner
The WNBA announced Friday, Sept. 4, that Engelbert will retire at the end of the year.
Engelbert, who in 2019 came to the WNBA from one of the world's largest accounting firms — Deloitte — has ushered the league through an era of growth. The WNBA and its teams have seen an increase in value, TV ratings and player salaries. The teams also fly charter now instead of commercial. Engelbert shepherded an historic media rights agreement, worth $3.1 billion over 11 years, and helped get the recent collective bargaining negotiations with players across the finish line. The WNBA has expanded from 12 to 15 teams under Engelbert’s watch and three more teams will begin play by 2030.
The 61-year-old former CEO has also endured criticism over public missteps this summer. It began with a flagrant 2 foul on Caitlin Clark by Alyssa Thomas. The Phoenix Mercury forward pushed her fist into the Indiana Fever guard’s throat and no foul was called in the moment. The next day, Thomas was suspended but Engelbert neither spoke publicly about the incident or issued a statement. In the aftermath, Engelbert was criticized for not protecting Clark on the court, not protecting Thomas from online harassment and failing to improve the league’s officiating.
Thomas’ flagrant foul against Clark snowballed into a story that lasted weeks, compounded by 11 Republican U.S. House Representatives sending a letter to Engelbert demanding she protect Clark, and Engelbert backing out of an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. A report also surfaced that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver pressured Engelbert to suspend Thomas. The WNBA has denied the report, but when asked, Silver said only that it would be unfair to both Clark and Engelbert to comment on the private discussions.
In recent weeks, the WNBA has also found itself at the center of a national debate about transgender athletes in participating in women's sports, with protests popping up outside of arenas and confrontations happening between owners, players, outside agitators and fans.
So now, the WNBA needs a new commissioner.
Jeff Hunt, a crisis management expert who suggested Engelbert should have resigned at the WNBA's All-Star Weekend in Chicago when he spoke to USA TODAY Sports for a story published on July 23, says finding her replacement will be difficult because there is not a clear and obvious successor.
“It's a tough job to fill for a lot of different reasons,” Hunt said. “They're going to have to get somebody that can be a bridge builder, somebody that has a big vision for where the brand can go, and then how to monetize it and capture and take advantage of the popularity.”
WNBA commissioner candidates to replace Cathy Engelbert
Nina King
The 47-year-old athletic director at basketball powerhouse Duke checks a lot of boxes for what the WNBA Board of Governors and NBA commissioner Adam Silver — a Duke graduate — will be looking for.
She has been the AD at Duke since 2021, guiding them through a time of change and tumult in college sports, from dealing with COVID-19 to the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing and conference realignments. Through it all, the Blue Devils have been innovators and found success.
King hired women's basketball coach Kara Lawson to replace Joanne P. McCallie, and Lawson then guided the Blue Devils to two ACC titles. In men’s basketball, she oversaw the transition from the legendary Mike Krzyzewski to Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils haven't missed a beat, winning three ACC titles and advancing to a Final Four. In football, Duke has never been better, going 35-18 with an ACC title over the past four years. The Blue Devils softball team has also gone to a Women’s College World Series during King’s tenure.
On the innovation front, Duke’s men’s basketball team was the first college program to hire a general manager in 2022, luring Rachel Baker away from Nike. King also oversaw Duke striking a unique media rights deal with Amazon for a non-conference game this upcoming season.
Before arriving at Duke, King — a Notre Dame graduate — worked at Nike. She has been the chair of the NCAA Tournament committee for women’s basketball and serves on the board of directors for USA Basketball.
Andrea Brimmer
The chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally Financial since 2015, Brimmer has blazed a trail for brand investment in women’s sports, leading the firm to partnerships with the WNBA, NWSL and Unrivaled. Ally is also the title sponsor for a few conference championships in the ACC, including women's basketball.
Ally also sponsors Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet in NASCAR and has used it to promote women’s sports like Unrivaled. It was Ally and Brimmer’s increased investment that got CBS to put the NWSL Championship game in primetime in 2022. Ally has also inked endorsement deals with WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers and been the title sponsor of the Ally Tip-Off in Charlotte — a women’s college basketball showcase.
Brimmer has been a crusader for investment in women’s sports. She’s a former Michigan State soccer player who could bring Engelbert’s corporate background to the role, but also a unique brand of charisma and authenticity.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin
The former WNBA player has been mentored by former league president Donna Orender and now serves as the vice president of basketball operations for the Upshot League — the professional and developmental basketball league in its inaugural season. McWilliams-Franklin previously worked for the WNBA as the player relations and development manager and in basketball operations with the NBA. She’s also been a WNBA and college coach.
McWilliams-Franklin had a decorated career in the WNBA and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. A former NAIA National Player of the Year, she helped the Connecticut Sun reach the Finals twice before winning a championship with the Detroit Shock in 2008 and Minnesota Lynx in 2011. The six-time All-Star ranks fourth all-time in offensive rebounds.
Swin Cash
An accomplished Hall of Fame player in the WNBA, Cash was also an executive in the NBA for six seasons, working as the vice president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. Like McWilliams-Franklin, she could be seen as a candidate who brings institutional knowledge of the WNBA as a former player, joined with front office experience.
The UConn product won three WNBA championships, was a four-time All-Star and was named to the WNBA’s 20th and 25th anniversary teams. In 2016, Cash was one of the first players to speak out against gun violence and police brutality. She has also worked as an analyst for Amazon Prime broadcasts of WNBA games.
Harvey Mason Jr.
This would be an out-of-the-box hire for a few reasons. First, because Mason would be a man leading a women’s league. But if you set that aside, he checks some boxes. Since 2021, the former songwriter and record producer has been the CEO of the National Academy of Record Arts and Sciences, the organization that puts on the Grammy Awards. He’s accustomed to the spotlight and guided the Grammys through a tumultuous time following the exit of former CEO Deborah Dugan. Moreover, Mason knows ball — he played in a Final Four for Lute Olson’s Arizona Wildcats in 1988 alongside five NBA players, including Steve Kerr.
Others names to be considered: NFL chief revenue officer Renie Anderson, Vanderbilt AD Candice Storey Lee, Las Vegas Raiders president Sandra Douglass Morgan, University of Virginia AD Carla Williams, Big South commissioner Sherika Montgomery, Boston Celtics vice president of team operations Allison Feaster, Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler, WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, former president commissioner of USA Gymnastics Li Li Leung
USA TODAY's Nancy Armour contributed.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five WNBA commissioner candidates to replace Cathy Engelbert: Could it be Swin Cash?