WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says relationship with players repaired after CBA deal

Cathy Engelbert said her relationship with players has improved after the WNBA reached a new collective bargaining agreement that expands the season and phases changes to team-provided housing.

The WNBA enters its 30th season following a protracted offseason that produced a new collective bargaining agreement and a busy free agency period. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the relationship with players is now in a better place after difficult negotiations. She described plans to grow the league’s footprint, including international exhibition games and eventual regular-season contests abroad, and noted roster and schedule changes enabled by the new CBA. The league also faces pending business matters, including a proposed sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun. Key details: - The WNBA and players reached a new collective bargaining agreement that allows the league to expand the schedule to as many as 52 games by the 2029 season and includes other compensation changes. - Under the new CBA, teams will provide housing on request through the 2028 season; starting in 2029, teams will only provide housing to players earning less than $500,000, as reported. - Engelbert said her relationship with players is repaired, noting a cordial exchange with WNBPA president Nneka Ogumwike before the draft and describing collaborative work on the agreement. - Engelbert emphasized ambitions to expand the league’s international presence and noted the Toronto Tempo will join the league in the upcoming season. - The WNBA has not yet received formal paperwork on the reported sale of the Connecticut Sun to the Houston ownership group; the league said it will review the transaction when documentation arrives. Summary: The commissioner presented the new CBA as a turning point that clears a path for a longer season and other structural changes while saying relations with players have improved. The league has signaled goals of international expansion and awaits formal review of a reported franchise sale, with next procedural steps tied to receiving and processing official paperwork.