WNBA commissioner stepping down after this season

( NewsNation ) — WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring at the end of the year, following seven years in the role.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the news Friday.

“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” Silver wrote in a statement. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”

With Engelbert at the helm, the WNBA expanded from 12 teams to 18 by the end of 2030. Transformative media rights and collective bargaining agreements also led to increases in salaries and benefits for athletes.

“In 2019, I had the privilege of being appointed the league’s first commissioner and to lead a league with enormous potential yet untapped awareness and significant undervaluation,” Englebert said. “Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports.”

However, the commissioner was also criticized by players for her lack of connection to the league and her leadership style.

Recently, she said the league would continue to have discussions regarding transgender athletes , an issue which has become a major one for Republican lawmakers. She called it a complex and nuanced issue, saying in a memo that the league would continue discussions on the topic.

That memo came after two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, declared themselves to be eligible for the WNBA draft because they identified as women.

Engelbert also took criticism for the number of hard fouls Caitlyn Clark, a prodigious player and among the most popular female athletes on the planet, has taken in her first three seasons in the league.

The outgoing commissioner is expected to lead a succession plan and has submitted a list of candidates to take over the role for consideration.