Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Simmons has called for the firing of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert
Bill Simmons has added his voice to the chorus of critics gunning for the job of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Simmons said that “nobody needs a commissioner more than the WNBA right now.”
On his long-running podcast, Bill Simmons called for the firing of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and predicted that she won’t return in the role for the 2027 season.
According to Simmons, the league desperately needs new leadership capable of steering it away from the self-inflicted controversies that have dominated the 2026 season despite the league having its best-ever collection of talent.
Bill Simmons called for the firing of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, saying the league lacks “adults in charge” and is wasting its best talent
“The WNBA, which is for some reason turned into the Twitter for you page as a league. And meanwhile, has all of these amazing stories going on. The league’s f—— deep… The league’s legitimately fun to watch and yet all anyone talks about is dumb s—,” Simmons said.
“What the league really needs is a commissioner. And I would personally bet anything that we will not have this commissioner next year. I’ve never seen a league more determined to not push fun stars and fun storylines and fun people like this… It’s all this discourse stuff and they’re just stepping in bear traps left and right because they have no adults in charge of the league,” he continued.
“It’s too bad though because the league, they by far have the best collection of players that I think they’ve had. And I don’t know anybody who thinks they’re well-run. So they have to fix this.”
Despite boasting more stars than its ever had before, the WNBA has spent the summer embroiled in debates over officiating double standards, the congressional letter demanding Engelbert address what lawmakers described as “racially motivated attacks” on Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunninghan’s comments transgender athletes, and a USA Today column invoking Emmett Till in an article about Clark flopping — all while the actual on-the-court product has been historically good.
“Nobody needs a commissioner more than the WNBA right now.”@BillSimmons shares his frustration with the discourse around the league and explains why there needs to be a change in leadership. pic.twitter.com/67myX6RY97
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 10, 2026
Simmons criticized the league’s broadcasting deal structure, which splits games across multiple channels and limits visibility, and argued the WNBA has failed to properly spotlight breakout talents including Clark and rookie Olivia Miles. His broader point: the on-court product is there, the audience interest is there, and the league keeps finding ways to undermine both.
Whether Engelbert is actually gone after this season remains to be seen — but Simmons is not the first or the loudest voice making this argument in 2026.