CHICAGO — Cathy Engelbert introduced Saturday that the WNBA will launch a full centralized Replay Middle starting with the 2027 season. The WNBA Commissioner delivered her annual state of the league handle on the United Middle hours earlier than tip-off of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Recreation.
Engelbert additionally mentioned the league’s unbiased investigation into the Las Vegas Aces has been closed with out self-discipline, addressed on-line threats directed at gamers, and took a query about whether or not she expects to carry her job initially of subsequent season.
A Centralized Replay Middle for 2027
The Replay Middle follows what Engelbert described as a multi-year analysis course of. She put the price within the tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
„This is likely one of the most vital investments we have ever made in our basketball operations,“ Engelbert mentioned. „This funding, tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, will deliver higher consistency, effectivity, transparency to our officiating course of whereas persevering with to enhance the standard of the sport.“
Operational particulars are nonetheless being finalized. The expertise must be put in in each enviornment the league performs in, together with buildings used for less than a handful of video games in a season. The NBA has operated a Replay Middle for years, and Engelbert mentioned the WNBA will leverage a few of these capabilities.
„We’re actually enthusiastic about this venture, the worth it’ll deliver to the sport,“ she mentioned. „We’ve lots of people engaged on it behind the scenes to deliver it to fruition for the beginning of subsequent season. We’ll be sharing extra particulars within the coming months.“
Requested within the first query of the provision whether or not a Final Two Minute Report would observe, Engelbert framed each objects as capital allocation questions.
„It is definitely on the listing, however nothing to report on it,“ she mentioned. „We will hopefully get the Replay Middle in first.“
No Self-discipline within the Aces‘ Investigation
The unbiased investigation carried out by exterior counsel has been wrapped up. Engelbert took that portion of a two-part query first.
„The WNBA has decided that there’s inadequate proof right now to determine a wage cap circumvention violation, and no self-discipline will likely be beneficial or imposed,“ Engelbert mentioned. „After all, if new or extra proof involves gentle, we’ll proceed to research.“
The 2026 CBA included enhanced circumvention provisions, which Engelbert mentioned apply prospectively.
On the broader query of transparency round fines, suspensions, and investigations, she pointed to processes which have been in place for 30 years, together with a mechanism for coaches to submit performs after officers file recreation reviews.
„The integrity of our recreation is primary,“ she mentioned.
Participant Security After Tuesday’s Name
Earlier than taking questions, Engelbert spent a number of minutes on threats and on-line abuse directed at gamers. She met with a gaggle of gamers Tuesday, with the league’s head of safety on the decision.
„What too many gamers throughout the WNBA have skilled is unacceptable,“ Engelbert mentioned. „Many circumstances it is disgusting. The racism, the misogyny, the homophobia, harassment and threats directed to our gamers has no place in sport or anyplace else. That is their office. It has no place.“
Rookies enrolled within the league’s No Area For Hate platform throughout rookie orientation this 12 months. Veterans largely didn’t.
„I am undecided they even remembered that we had all these sources obtainable,“ Engelbert mentioned. „I believe a few of the rookies did as a result of we simply had rookie orientation the place all of them signed up for our No Area For Hate Platform, our social shield expertise. We’ve a number of rookies on that. The veterans by no means signed up, they forgot about it, issues like that.“
Safety groups monitor for credible threats with out gamers seeing that work, Engelbert mentioned. She additionally mentioned the league is studying what language fashions can contribute on the digital aspect, and {that a} expertise obtainable to gamers isn’t deployed by all of them.
„Anytime a participant tells me something, I’m going proper to the top of safety,“ Engelbert mentioned. „It goes to the staff. They work along with native regulation enforcement, in some circumstances with native prosecutors.“
The Query About 2027
Engelbert was requested instantly whether or not she expects to be commissioner of the WNBA initially of the 2027 season. She didn’t reply sure or no.
„I’ll simply proceed to do my job, execute the technique, as a result of it has been working,“ Engelbert mentioned. „Be certain that we take heed to the gamers, talk with the gamers. So completely simply love this league and blessed to have had the profession I had earlier than and the profession I’ve now.“
Twelve individuals labored on the league workplace when she arrived in 2019. Almost 100 work there full time now.
„Bear in mind, I got here in right here and I’ve advised a few of you, there have been 12 individuals working on the league,“ Engelbert mentioned. „There’s 12 individuals in all probability for the 24 years earlier than I obtained right here. Now we now have nearly 100 individuals working full time. We’ve a number of others that assist us. We leverage off the NBA mannequin as effectively.“
On the connection with gamers a 12 months after a contentious bargaining cycle, Engelbert cited the variety of gamers who’ve signed million dollar-plus multiyear contracts and mentioned extra are coming. Gamers now take part in a income share underneath the CBA.
We requested Cathy Engelbert what the largest false impression about being a league commissioner is 🎤 pic.twitter.com/za5RkJPq1d
— Entrance Workplace Sports activities (@FOS) July 25, 2026
Viewership and Attendance on the Break
Via 117 broadcasts, the league has reached greater than 73 million distinctive viewers. Final season’s full-year complete was 63 million, which stood because the report.
Twenty-nine video games have averaged multiple million viewers this season. That determine was 11 for all of final season.
Greater than 2.2 million followers have attended video games, up 16% from this level a 12 months in the past. WNBA ID, the league’s digital platform, has surpassed two million members. NBC and USA Community Versant joined Disney, ESPN, CBS, Amazon, and ION as broadcast companions this 12 months.
„Now we’re solely on the All-Star break,“ Engelbert mentioned. „Simply take into consideration that.“
WNBA Reside, introduced by AWS for the primary time this 12 months, ran throughout greater than 180,000 sq. toes with 35 companions and licensees. Engelbert mentioned attendance had handed 30,000 when she left the constructing Saturday afternoon.
Officiating, Fouls, and Freedom of Motion
Two teams did offseason work on officiating. A state of the sport committee included gamers, officers, faculty coaches, common managers, staff presidents, and employees from the league workplace, referee operations, and basketball operations. A separate officiating process pressure reviewed mixed hours of movie that Engelbert put within the tens to tons of.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve mentioned earlier within the week that progress had been made, and Engelbert was requested about that evaluation.
„I knew there could be an adjustment interval, however it was the offseason work we did,“ Engelbert mentioned. „It was a number of work, a number of hours.“
Scoring, discipline targets made, and discipline purpose share are at all-time highs. Offenses are on tempo for all-time highs in factors per recreation, discipline purpose share, and offensive ranking.
„That is what we heard from gamers: We wish extra freedom of motion,“ Engelbert mentioned. „We obtained it.“
Fouls are up, and Engelbert mentioned the calibration has continued to maneuver over the previous couple of weeks.
International Video games and the Teaching Pipeline
The league is working by way of a three-to-five-year world plan. The 2028 calendar is sophisticated by the Olympics and this 12 months’s by the FIBA World Cup, with 2029 carrying no worldwide competitors. Engelbert mentioned the Toronto Tempo’s recreation in Montreal was the most-attended recreation in league historical past and that the WNBA will play in Vancouver.
„So we’re charting out a three-to-five-year plan on world to find out what’s the easiest way to verify our gamers are usually not simply home stars however world stars,“ Engelbert mentioned.
Requested in regards to the absence of a Black feminine head coach for a 3rd consecutive season and whether or not the league wants a Rooney Rule, Engelbert mentioned hiring choices sit with staff homeowners and common managers. Girls make up 60% of coaches leaguewide, she mentioned.
„There’s not a gathering that I am not with our homeowners speaking about range in teaching and the pipeline,“ Engelbert mentioned. „I believe our pipeline is basically, actually robust. In the end, once more, the homeowners and the GMs make these choices.“
She additionally pointed to the league’s HBCU internship program, which rotates interns by way of teams inside and outdoors the WNBA.
