Natasha Cloud reaction to Cathy Engelbert retirement sums up WNBA locker room verdict

Natasha Cloud could not help but take to social media to celebrate the news that Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year.

On Friday, the WNBA — in conjunction with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver — released a statement announcing that Engelbert will be retiring from her duties with the league. Under the 61-year-old league's first appointed commissioner, a role she's held since 2019, the league has grown exponentially, and the WNBA is set to continue expanding; there will be 18 teams by 2030.

Engelbert’s retirement will be confirmed on December 31, according to the WNBA. She leaves behind a complicated legacy: while Engelbert has overseen the league’s stratospheric rise in popularity, her leadership style has been questioned and criticized by players throughout the league.

Most prominently, last year, Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier insisted that Engelbert was “negligent” and described the WNBA as having the “worst leadership in the world.” Her comments received widespread support from players, and Engelbert vowed to improve, but the commissioner reportedly struggled to develop relationships across the league.

It is clear in Cloud’s reaction. After Engelbert’s retirement was confirmed, the Chicago Sky guard took to social media to post: “Whewww lawd I knew it was a beautiful Friday.”

While there seemed to be a strained relationship between Engelbert and the players, particularly amid CBA negotiations on the eve of the 2026 WNBA season, the commissioner is adamant that she has a good relationship with them. According to ESPN, Engelbert thanked players for “helping to lead this league through a remarkable period of transformation.”

“I am grateful for your advocacy and your willingness to challenge us to be bold, listen more closely, and think differently,” Engelbert wrote in a letter to the WNBA players, obtained by ESPN. “Those conversations were not always easy, but they were essential. You made this league stronger, and you made me a better leader.”

Engelbert confirmed her decision in a statement, which read: “Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women's sports. I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger, and more enduring than we could have imagined.

“I am grateful to the WNBA and NBA team owners and staff, players, investors, fans, and the powerhouse league office staff, who believed in what this league could become. I retire with immense gratitude and tremendous optimism for the future of the WNBA, with the best yet to come.”

Engelbert has overseen an explosion in growth within the WNBA. The league's media rights deals are worth $3.1 billion, the season will increase to a record 50 games, and 18 cities will have teams by 2030 after nearly two decades at 12 franchises. In 2019, the average value of a WNBA franchise was $10 million, but in 2026, it is approximately $460 million.

She oversaw two CBA deals, and while the latest one involved tense negotiations, New York Liberty forward and vice president of the WNBA players’ union executive committee Breanna Stewart paid tribute to Engelbert. Speaking on Friday, Stewart said: “What she's done for the league is incredible.

“Obviously, the CBA negotiation was a tough one, but the way that both sides continue to have a huge win is really important. So really happy for her and hope that she continues to remember that and reflect on that.”