The WNBA has begun the search for Cathy Engelbert's successor, retaining an executive search firm to evaluate candidates as the league enters its most valuable phase since launch. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey sits on a list of 13 potential commissioners that includes former players, sitting team executives, and political operators, according to people familiar with the process.
Engelbert, who took office in 2019 at $200K average franchise valuation, now oversees a league where the Golden State Valkyries paid a $50M expansion fee and recent team sales have implied valuations north of $100M. The timing reflects an ownership calculation: the next commissioner will negotiate the league's first billion-dollar media rights deal, oversee two to four additional expansion franchises, and manage the player opt-out window in the 2025 CBA.
The candidate list reveals what matters to the 12 existing ownership groups. Healey brings government relationships and sponsorship credibility—her presence signals interest in public funding for arenas and tax treatment for franchise sales. Former players on the list (names include past All-Stars now in team front offices) offer playing-career credibility with a union that pushed hard on travel standards and per diem increases in the last negotiation. Sitting team presidents and league office executives represent continuity risk versus upside: they know the media buyers, but they also inherit Engelbert's unfinished business on referee quality and playoff format complaints.
The financial stakes are clean. The NBA subsidizes WNBA operations at roughly $15M annually per team, a figure that drops materially if the next media deal reaches the $200M-per-year range that league sponsors have privately modeled. Broadcast partners pay $60M total under the current contract; the league wants triple that, which requires proving that Caitlin Clark's rookie season wasn't a one-time ratings spike. Charter flights—now standard after player pressure—cost the league $25M annually, paid by the NBA subsidy. The next commissioner needs that line item absorbed by media revenue before the 2027 CBA opt-out, or the union walks into renegotiation with leverage.
Expansion revenue matters more than most operators admit. Golden State's $50M fee was split among existing owners; at $4.2M per team, that checks covered roughly six months of charter flight costs. If the league adds Portland (2026) and Philadelphia or Toronto (2028), and expansion fees hold north of $75M, that's $150M in cash to ownership before valuation accretion. The commissioner who closes those deals and keeps expansion fees rising becomes the person who took the league off NBA subsidy. That résumé sells itself to future board seats.
The search timeline runs through late Q2 2025, with a hire expected before the season's first jump ball in May. Healey's name appearing this early suggests either serious interest or a stalking horse to set the range on non-traditional candidates—governors don't surface in executive searches unless someone made a call. If she's real, the league is pricing in political access at the state level, which matters for arena funding and sports betting regulation as franchises move into smaller markets without NBA partnerships.
Owners will want to see media deal progress before the hire is announced. The league's current contract expires after the 2025 season; negotiating windows open in early spring. If the next deal lands near $200M annually, the new commissioner inherits a profitable league. If it tracks closer to $100M, they inherit a cost-cutting mandate and a union that knows the money didn't arrive.
The takeaway
WNBA's next commissioner will negotiate a **$200M+** media deal, manage **two to four** expansion franchises, and determine if the league exits NBA subsidy by **2027**.
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