Engelbert will step away from her role at the end of the year
Page S2From§Eachthe early bird edition — 4 September 2026
Engelbert calls tenure 'much better,' then submits her own shortlist for the NBA boss to approve.
Hot Mic Moment
Somebody get me the political desk — a women's league's next commissioner chosen by an ownership group and one NBA executive, with no vote and no player seat anywhere in the reporting, is not a personnel search, it is succession planning by the people who already hold the paycheck. The New York Post's own account has that list moving from Engelbert to the owners to Silver's desk, full stop.
Gushis side
GUS: Cathy Engelbert, the outgoing commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association, informed this reporter and anyone else listening that she is leaving the league "much better" than she found it, a verdict this reporter finds unimpeachable, given that CBS Sports has already assembled a shortlist of three names to succeed her.
GUS: Five, then — five strong contenders for one of the more thankless chairs in professional athletics, and this reporter is pleased to report the decision rests, as it should, with the women who play the game.
GUS: A pen indeed, and while the boardroom sorts itself out, the public-facing drama has continued apace: on August 31st, former NBA forward Enes Kanter Freedom released a video appeal to Engelbert proposing a "peace summit" over the league's ongoing controversies, to be moderated, he suggested, by Caitlyn Jenner — a fitting note of civic spectacle for a league in transition.
Trudyher side
Three, Gus? The CBS Sports rundown that ran today counts five candidates, not three — you've misplaced two commissioners standing right there in black and white.
It does not rest with the players at all, sugar. The New York Post reported today that Engelbert has already handed her own list of internal and external names to the owners, and the final call belongs to her boss, NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The players get a locker room. Silver gets a pen.
Lord, cut that mic before standards does it for you — but the receipt's already sitting in front of you: the Post confirms it's Engelbert's list, the owners' room, and Silver's signature, full stop, no ballot in sight anywhere. Go take your nap, Gus; the grown-ups will finish the bracket.
“She grades her own tenure an A, then hands her own shortlist straight up to her boss, and the owners pick from names she picked. That's not a search, that's an internal promotion with a press release attached. Same room, same money, same five names — nobody in that gym gets a ballot.”
“This is simply good governance — a thorough, board-led process with five vetted names and Adam Silver, a proven and experienced hand, signing off before anything moves forward. It's not a takeover, it's the oversight the league has always operated under... which I suppose means it was never really hers to hand off in the first place. Did I say that? That doesn't sound like me.”
The receipts
Engelbert has already reportedly submitted a list of internal and external candidates to WNBA owners but her boss, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, will have the final say.
· Enes Kanter calls for Caitlyn Jenner to moderate ‘peace’ talks in WNBA trans scandal from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.