CHICAGO -- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert avoided directly answering a question about whether she expects to be in her job at the start of the 2027 season during her annual All-Star Weekend news conference Saturday.
"I'm so blessed to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hypergrowth period," Engelbert said. "So blessed that these players are putting the product on the court they are every night. They stand for the values that the W has long sought for.
"So, I will just continue to do my job, execute the strategy, because it has been working. Make sure we listen to the players, communicate with the players. Absolutely just love this league and blessed to have had the career I had before and the career I have now, and just mostly the team we've built at the league."
The question came as Engelbert's leadership has faced scrutiny over the past 10 months in particular. ESPN had recent conversations with more than 20 owners, management executives, players and other industry insiders who shared a general sentiment that, for as much business growth as Engelbert has overseen, she is not the right person to navigate the demands the league currently faces and what its stakeholders now need.
Multiple high-ranking team sources also told ESPN they believe that the 2026 season will likely be Engelbert's last.
Engelbert has consistently deflected questions about her future. Her boss, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, said earlier this month that while he is pleased with where the WNBA is under Engelbert, "we'll have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like."
Engelbert's address also included the announcement that the league will be launching a centralized replay center beginning with the 2027 season. Engelbert called it "one of the most significant investments we've ever made in our basketball operations."
WNBA officiating has come under fire as the league has grown in popularity, with multiple stakeholders saying a larger investment in resources is required to resolve the core issues.
Engelbert said she expects the replay center -- which will leverage the NBA's existing infrastructure in Secaucus, New Jersey -- to "help bring greater consistency, efficiency and transparency to our officiating process while continuing to improve the quality of the game."
The replay center will provide on-court officials with immediate access to multiple camera angles, as well as support from replay officials and staff in Secaucus, to help them make more accurate and efficient decisions when reviewing plays, according to a WNBA release.
The league formed an officiating task force in the offseason that worked to home in on points of emphasis for officials, specifically allowing more freedom of movement. Engelbert said she believes the task force's work is "paying off" as the league continues to look for other ways to "make sure we do have the best officials in the women's game."
The commissioner also announced Saturday that the independent investigation into the Las Vegas Aces for alleged salary cap circumvention -- which was launched in May 2024 and handled by outside counsel -- found "insufficient evidence" and that no discipline will be imposed on the team.
Earlier this week, Engelbert met with players to discuss their ongoing concerns over increased harassment as well as officiating, a conversation players called "hopeful" in establishing better trust and communication between the parties.
Engelbert said they went over the league's security measures and protocols while acknowledging "we know there's more work to do, and we're going to work together to do it."
Part of that effort will come in the form of improved communication, Engelbert said.
"We need to be better at it, there's no doubt," Engelbert said. "I need to be better. Everybody needs to be better at communication, I think, all the time. We'll continue to work on that and communicate, and that was one thing that came out of Tuesday."
