Moments before making dreams come for prospects selected in the 2025 WNBA Draft, commissioner Cathy Engelbert answered questions on the state of the league.
The commissioner mostly deflected on the most relevant topic — details on a new possible collective bargaining agreement for the 2026 WNBA season — but she did disclose a new task force to combat hate; share her thoughts on various elite collegiate prospects opting to use an additional year of eligibility instead of entering the draft; and answered questions on the possibilities of new destinations for expansion franchises.
Here’s what Engelbert shared — and didn’t share — during her media availability.
NOTHING TO SHARE ON NEW CBA
With the current CBA set to expire at the end of the 2025 season, the WNBA world is anticipating a new structure that could provide better benefits, improve working environments and pay better salaries among other employee needs.
The commissioner said “there’s nothing to report” and talks between the league and player’s association are “in the early phases.”
“So we’re in process of discussing what’s important to the players, owners, etc,” she said.
“I’m really optimistic about the future of this league… and certainly optimistic about coming to a transformational CBA at this point.”
Hours before Engelbert took the podium inside The Shed — this year’s site for the draft in Manhattan — a Bloomberg report stated that the player’s union is still waiting for the league to engage in substantial talks on a new contract after the sport’s popularity surged. The report added that the union presented an outline for a CBA in December that included significantly higher salaries, but the league hasn’t responded to it.
“Inaccurate that any proposal was offered in December,” the commissioner said when asked about the accuracy of the report. “Accurate we’ll continue to meet and work together staff to staff.”
Engelbert added the league “recently” got a proposal from the player’s association.
“We’ll work on that as soon as we get through tonight.”
Both parties have met multiple times in hopes to come closer to terms on a new CBA, with players expressing the aforementioned needs required to strike a deal.
On Monday, Engelbert declined to share what the WNBA views as a fair deal.
“We’re not going to negotiate in the media. We’re going to negotiate with the players across the bargaining table.
COMBATING HATE TOWARDS WOMEN’S SPORTS
The WNBA assembled a four-pronged task force in an effort to provide a safe environment for players and teams, the commissioner revealed Monday. The pillars in the task force include:
- Monitoring social media and other digital platforms to detect comments and threats
- Strengthening conduct standards across all WNBA platforms, including league arenas
- Security measures put in place at the league and team levels
- Continued services of dedicated mental health clinicians addressing concerns that players have in a timely
“More to come on this as we get to the tip of the season in May,” the commissioner said.
The task force comes as the league experiences rapid growth — online and in in-person — for a league filed with “digital-native” 20 and 30 year olds.
WHERE WILL THE W EXPAND TO?
The 2025 WNBA season will feature the league’s 13th and newest franchise — the Golden State Valkyries. In 2026, a new team will begin play in Portland while Toronto will be the new home for the Tempo.
The WNBA plans to expand to 16 teams by no later than 2028 and “we’re still on track for that,” per Engelbert.
In response to a question based on a report that named three cities in particular as potential expansion spots — Cleveland, Houston and Philadelphia — the commissioner declined to confirm, but said there’s a “huge demand in our bidding process for a WNBA team in not only those cities but a lot of other cities.”
PLAYERS STAYING IN COLLEGE
With the expected arrival of a new 2026 CBA that could hike payer salaries, draft-eligible collegiate players had an incentive to take another year in school instead of entering the 2025 draft.
UConn’s Azzi Fudd and new TCU transfer Olivia Miles — two prospects that would’ve surely been 2025 lottery pick — were among some players that took an additional year of eligibility.
Engelbert doesn’t see players forgoing the draft as a slight to the league and the decision is “OK.”
“First of all, we have an amazing potential rookie class that you’re going to see tonight,” she said.
“College is something that players are going to make their own decisions of when they come out, when they don’t. We don’t pressure them. We’re not disappointed in any of them. We love the fact that the NCAA has been such a strong theater into the WNBA.”