WNBA draft night on April 13 was a major win for the league, which had looked well behind schedule due to delayed CBA discussions but caught up with fast-paced processes that included free-agent signings and the expansion draft. The Toronto Tempo Head Coach, Sandy Brondello, voiced her concern over the delayed WNBA 2026 schedule, but now everything seems to be under control, not ideal, though.
Amid this, another major announcement about the league’s future was made. As commissioner, Cathy Engelbert addressed the crowd with a sense of optimism.
WNBA Commissioner Aiming For Wider Global Reach
WNBA players’ popularity hinted at an opportunity for the league to go global. The 2025 off-season proved the league’s analysis spot on as A’ja Wilson received huge support from Europe, Sabrina Ionescu thrived in China, and Angel Reese signed a partnership for Reebok with the WNBL.
During draft night, the league commissioner spoke highly of the growth and potential ceiling, and she also opened up about the plan to play in other countries.
Engelbert said, “That will likely begin with some international preseason games, with the long-term goal of bringing regular season games to fans around the world … Expanding our global footprint is a major priority.”
Cathy Engelbert on the WNBA exploring games outside of North America in the future:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) April 13, 2026
"That will likely begin with some international preseason games, with the long-term goal of bringing regular season games to fans around the world … Expanding our global footprint is a major…
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Importantly, the NBA is already working on a similar project and recently had the Orlando Magic playing in Europe. The NB also showed positive signs about including the WNBA in its project to go global.
Interestingly, there are speculations around the commissioner’s future following the CBA fiasco and broken relationship with top players. The top executive also addressed those rumors.
WNBA Commissioner Addresses Question over Her Future
During the CBA discussion period, there was much news about the possible sacking of the commissioner who failed to deliver on time. An ESPN reporter even set the timeline for Engelbert’s replacement. But now, with everything running toward the target date, Englebert is ready to face those questions.
“I do crack up, everyone’s focused on me, and you should be focused on the hundreds and thousands of women who run this league outside of myself,” she said. “I wonder if you would ask that of a man?”
“I wonder whether you would ask that of a man." 👀
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 13, 2026
Cathy Engelbert’s response to the question of how much longer she anticipates being the WNBA’s commissioner 😳 pic.twitter.com/7FZ3Yxgq7w
The commissioner went on to say she was “thrilled with the trajectory, growth and was really looking forward to the next few years.”