NEW YORK (AP) — As the WNBA is racing through free agency, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is already looking overseas.
Engelbert said before the draft Monday night that the league is looking to play a game outside North America for the first time in 2027. The WNBA expanded to Toronto this season, its first franchise outside the United States.
“We’re heavily looking at that,” Engelbert said of playing either an exhibition or regular-season game overseas.
“Obviously this year we have the FIBA World Cup. Next year we expect that we’ll do something outside of North America as a true global game.”
The league welcomed its 2026 draft class days after a historic free agency period opened that included its first million-dollar contracts.
“I’m pretty emotional seeing 23 million-dollar contracts signed only two days into free agency,” Engelbert said. “Now these players can build real generational wealth.”
Engelbert deflected a question about her future as commissioner.
“I do crack up, everyone’s focused on me and you should be focused on the hundreds and thousands of women who run this league outside of myself,” she said.
Engelbert went back at the reporter, asking, “I wonder if you would ask that of a man?”
The commissioner went on to say she was “thrilled with the trajectory, growth and was really looking forward to the next few years.”
Engelbert said that the Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale of the Connecticut Sun to Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets.
She said specifics of the move from Connecticut to Houston might be better discussed by the Rockets group and the franchise in the future.
Engelbert said she hoped Connecticut fans would still support the team this season.
“Great basketball state for women’s basketball, some would call it the center of women’s basketball,” she said.
The league's new collective bargaining agreement still needs to get finished with the long form sheet. Engelbert estimated its length at 400 to 500 pages and said it will be finished soon. The deal was transformational with record salary increases, housing adjustments for players, 401k contributions and money given to former players.
The WNBA started a state-of-the-game task force that included a subgroup on officiating to help improve the quality of play on the court. Engelbert said the group received input from players, the union executive committee, college coaches, general managers and head coaches.
“You’ll see some changes around physicality this year,” she said. “All sides will get used to it and that will play out over the year. It’s going to be a physical game, we got to draw lines around physicality.”
It's been a busy two weeks for the WNBA with the labor deal completed so late. Free agency opened up a week ago and a flurry of players have signed over the last few day. Still, 80% of players were free agents this offseason and there are still many that need to sign. Training camps open on Sunday with the regular season tipping off May 8.
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