WNBA Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon says league may need new leadership
Las Vegas Aces head coach and six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon said it may be time for a change in WNBA leadership.
In an interview with CNBC Sport a month after winning her third NBA title with the Aces, Hammon described what she described as an “acrimonious relationship” between Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and many WNBA players as a call for Engelbert to back out of construction.
“I would say they’re probably going to be looking for a change in leadership. I just think it might be very fragmented at this point,” Hammon said.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier in late September was publicly criticized Engelbert’s leadership said the commissioner had shown a lack of empathy towards the players regarding salary issues and ongoing management issues.
Collier cited comments Engelbert was said to have made during a meeting in February. These comments sparked widespread backlash and prompted many other players to speak out as well. Concerns about the commissioner.
Hammon suggested that the situation may now be beyond repair.
“I don’t know if he can repent and pull back and get that attention back from those conversations,” Hammon said.
“The only thing [league] Hammon has always maintained that when players talk, people should sit up and listen. “I think [Engelbert is] Now I sit and listen.”
The WNBA declined to comment but pointed CNBC to Engelbert’s record of commercial success.
Engelbert took over the league in 2019 after more than three decades at Deloitte.
During her tenure as WNBA commissioner, she led the league through the Covid pandemic and delivered record financial, attendance and viewership growth for the league. He also helped negotiate the 2020 collective bargaining agreement and media rights agreement that increased the league’s media revenue from $60 million annually to $200 million.
He also oversaw the league’s expansion, adding six new teams in recent years. The latest franchises — teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — each paid a record $250 million in expansion fees, CNBC previously reported.
In 2024, Engelbert operated league-wide charter flights and upgraded team accommodations to five-star hotels, marking another important step in the professionalization of the league.
But players argue they are paid less than their NBA counterparts and the league’s growing popularity.
At an Oct. 3 press conference ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Engelbert acknowledged criticism of her relationship with players and vowed to make changes.
“If players don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then I have to do better,” Engelbert said.
WNBA and National Women’s Basketball Players Association continue talks on new agreement collective bargaining agreement Ahead of the November 30 deadline.
Hammon was a former WNBA All-Star. made history In 2020, she became the first woman to serve as an NBA head coach when she replaced San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich while serving as an assistant coach with the team.
in 2021 Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA announced that Hammon would take over as head coach. He led the team to three championships in the last four years and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
