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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert would perhaps go down in WNBA history as one of the finest to have held the post. As the league experiences unprecedented success, Engelbert has been at the forefront of it all, despite having never played in the league.
She took on her current role in 2019, a title that was previously called "President of the WNBA." Before taking over the league's leadership, Engelbert was the CEO of Deloitte's Global Sports Business for four years from 2015 to 2019.
Apart from her role as the WNBA commissioner, Engelbert also serves as a board member of McDonald’s Corporation, Catalyst and Royalty Pharma. Although she played sports growing up, she never played any professional sport.
However, Engelbert has brought her business and strategic mind to the women's basketball pros. When she joined the league in 2019, it had a net worth of $60 million. In just three years, Cathay Engelbert doubled the league’s net worth to $120 million in 2022.
Looking at WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert's income
According to Wallmine, Engelbert earns $21,303 annually as an Independent Director of McDonald's Corp. She also owns stock worth $446,989 in McDonald's. Before she took over as WNBA commissioner, Marca.com reported she earned $3 million in salary as the CEO of Deloitte.
This year, the WNBA will play its 28th season, with a total of 12 teams in the league. Compared to the NBA, women's league teams play far fewer games, while they also have less than half the number of teams the NBA has. Engelbert has great aspirations for the league and hopes to expand into new markets.
In December last year, the league made the announcement that it was going to expand another team in the Bay Area by 2025. There is a strong hope that the 13th team in the league will be introduced before the end of this year.
Moreover, Engelbert said that the league is aiming to expand to 16 teams by the 2028 season and 14 teams by the 2026 season.
“[Adding four teams] will add 48 roster spots in just a couple of years,” Engelbert said. “That, in a league of 144, is a lot. That's 30 percent. I think it'll be great when we get those done over the next couple years.”
This is not the only high number that the commissioner is aiming at. She also said that with the 2024 draft, she is also expecting to double the numbers of the money coming from the media rights.
The league is already circled by the controversy of not paying enough to its players. With the expansion and the fashion in which it witnessed a revolution this year, there is a strong hope for fair payment.
