# The next WNBA commissioner has five hard jobs > The WNBA is bigger, richer and louder than it was in 2019. Its next leader has to make growth actually work. - Title: The next WNBA commissioner has five hard jobs | Shortify - Summary: The WNBA is bigger, richer and louder than it was in 2019. Its next leader has to make growth actually work. The next commissioner must grow the WNBA while… - Keywords: wnba, basketball, sports business, labor, expansion, news, local, next, commissioner, five, hard, jobs - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/09/15/five-needles-the-next-wnba-comissioner-will-have-to-thread - Published: 2026-09-15T22:27:19.021+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: wnba, basketball, sports business, labor, expansion, news, local ## Players want protection Natasha Cloud wants the next commissioner to be a former player, preferably from a minority group, who understands the strain players face as attention grows. > better protect players from the hazards of mainstream attention ## Business chops matter Elizabeth Williams wants someone who knows the WNBA and understands business. The job now demands both player credibility and dealmaking skill. > some level of business knowledge ## A stronger inheritance The next commissioner takes over a league far healthier than Cathy Engelbert did in 2019. But growth is still tangled by NBA control. > it still has a long way to go ## Expansion needs math The WNBA is set to reach 18 teams by decade’s end, up from 12. The hard question is how many more teams the player pool can support. > How many more can be added without diluting the quality of play? ## International talent helps Recent expansion has worked partly because top international players filled new rosters. Better pay and FIBA flexibility can keep that pipeline strong. ## More games are coming More teams mean more games, which fans and TV partners will welcome. Players worry that the current summer window is already too tight. > More basketball, yay! ## The calendar is stuck The commissioner can either squeeze more into the summer or push the NBA to allow a winter schedule. That move would face arena and TV resistance. > create more time out of thin air ## Officials need investment Cheryl Reeve sees some officiating progress, but the system still makes little sense. WNBA refs train through the NBA’s developmental league and earn far less. > the system is still flawed ## What game do they want The league also needs agreement on style. Reeve and Napheesa Collier want more freedom for offense, while Cloud prefers allowing tougher defense. > freedom of movement ## Franchise gaps are glaring Some teams look major league, others still do not. The Valkyries sell out 18,000 seats, while the Mystics play in a much smaller setting. > what feels like a high school gym ## Facilities show the split The Mercury practice in a $100 million facility. The Sky rotate between college gyms. New CBA standards should end the worst setups. > minimum standards for resources ## Uniformity is the goal Minimums are only a start. The commissioner needs a plan to make team resources less uneven across the league. > more uniformity across the board ## Growth brings backlash The WNBA’s rise has exposed how uneasy some people are with women’s basketball as big business. The commissioner must help fans embrace the league and protect players. > professional women’s basketball as big business ## The hardest needle Any commissioner balances owners and players. The WNBA’s next leader may also need to defy the NBA when the women’s league needs something different. > the guts to defy their superiors ## Key takeaway The next commissioner must grow the WNBA while pushing back when the NBA’s control limits what the women’s league needs.