playAlexa Philippou and Michael VoepelCloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Multiple AuthorsSep 8, 2026, 09:00 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsThe WNBA is in search of a new leader, as commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Friday that she will retire at the end of the calendar year.Engelbert is the sixth league head and second-longest tenured behind Val Ackerman. Engelbert is the first to hold the title of WNBA commissioner, as the previous leaders served as president.The process to find Engelbert’s replacement will start later this month, if not sooner, sources told ESPN. Presumably, the hire will be made by and report to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, as was the case with Engelbert.
She told the Associated Press and The IX that she has been working on a succession plan for years, and that she has already submitted a list of potential internal and external candidates to Silver.It is unclear who else might have input on the decision, though the Board of Governors is expected to be involved. Prior to hiring Engelbert in 2019, the players’ union also requested and was granted the opportunity to meet with the league’s final candidates.A source familiar with the situation told ESPN that the league is approaching the process with an open mind — recognizing that the WNBA is now at a point where a leader without a traditional background in the corporate world might offer advantages.Building and managing relationships with players, as well as owners, executives and business leaders, is also seen as a priority following Engelbert’s tenure, which notably included several strained relationships with key playersHere are some of the possible candidates.Swin CashThe former UConn star played in the WNBA from 2002 to 2016, winning three championships. Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2022, Cash has worked in the front office for the WNBA’s New York Liberty (2017-19) and NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans (2019-25). Cash, who turns 47 later this month, has also been a broadcast analyst.
Her management experience is a plus, but some might question if Cash has spent enough time in the business world. — Michael VoepelKeia ClarkeShe has been with the New York Liberty since 2011 and was promoted to CEO in 2020. She manages all business aspects of the franchise. Clarke played collegiate basketball at Canisius from 1999 to 2003 and began her career working for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Clarke, 45, then went to work for the WNBA/NBA league offices before joining the Liberty.
She has postgraduate business degrees from NYU and Harvard. Clarke knows the ins and outs of a WNBA franchise business and has been part of the huge growth of the Liberty in the past seven years. — VoepelBethany DonaphinCurrently head of WNBA operations, Donaphin has been with the league since 2016. She played at Stanford from 1998 to 2002, then competed professionally in the WNBA and overseas from 2002 to 2008. She earned an MBA in 2012 from Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and then spent 2013 to 2016 at Deloitte, consulting for Fortune 500 companies.
Donaphin, 46, has worked with former WNBA president Lisa Borders and Engelbert at the WNBA. One of the questions regarding Donaphis is whether her close ties to Engelbert during the past seven years would be seen as a negative by the players, considering their criticisms of Engelbert. — VoepelTanya HvizdakA vice president of global sports marketing at Nike, Hvizdak has spent 25 years at the company. Nike is the outfitter for the WNBA and NBA, agreeing to a 12-year extension for that role in 2024. Hvizdak has been closely involved in the development and rollout of shoes for prominent WNBA athletes such as A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu.
Hvizdak also spearheaded a Nike think tank, which included Serena Williams and Ionescu, in 2022 that focused on issues faced by female athletes. Hvizdak played collegiate basketball, first at Rhode Island and then Bentley, where she earned an MBA. Hvizdak has worked hard to elevate women’s athletics and has extensive marketing and business knowledge. Would she want to relocate across the country from Portland to New York and take on a different type of role running the WNBA? — VoepelNneka OgwumikeIf one of Engelbert’s weaknesses was developing relationships with players, that’s Ogwumike’s clear strength.
The Stanford grad is well-respected as WNBPA president for 10 years, a tenure that includes representing the players for two CBA negotiations. If Ogwumike is interested in the role, it would be a fascinating and unprecedented turn coming less than a year removed from a contentious labor negotiation between the players’ union and the league/owners; Ogwumike has built a legacy representing the former, but the commissioner’s job is to represent the latter.Ogwumike, who recently announced she’ll be retiring from the WNBA at the end of the season, has been asked if she would be interested in being WNBA commissioner. She responded, “I don’t close doors, but I do appreciate vacation. 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.” So perhaps it’s more realistic that Ogwumike would seek some other experiences first before pursuing that sort of leadership role.
Either way, the league could gauge her interest in taking a sort of liaison role where she’d serve as a bridge between the league office and teams/players. — PhilippouJess SmithIn a similar vein to Clarke, Smith would be someone coming from the business side of a WNBA franchise. She has been at the helm as team president of the massively successful Golden State Valkyries since 2024. On the court, the Valkyries surpassed expectations by becoming the league’s first expansion team to make the playoffs in its inaugural season. According to CNBC, the Valkyries are the first women’s sports team with a $1 billion valuation.
Smith has two decades of experience in pro sports, with previous stops at the team level in the MLB, NHL, MLS and NWSL. — PhilippouMark TatumTatum, who previously served as the league’s interim president between Lisa Borders’ and Engelbert’s tenures, would be a surprise pick in some respects. The league has had only female leaders. And, as the longtime deputy commissioner and COO of the NBA, he would be seen as an extension of Silver, putting into question how much autonomy the WNBA really has as a separate entity from the NBA. But if Tatum is seriously considered, it might indicate Silver isn’t interested in achieving that dynamic. — PhilippouESPN’s Ramona Shelburne also contributed to this report.
