Becky Hammon of the WNBA Las Vegas Aces says the league may need new leadership

Becky Hammon, the Las Vegas Aces coach and six-time WNBA star, said it’s time for a change in WNBA leadership.

In an interview with CNBC Sports, one month after winning her third NBA championship with the Aces, Hammon discussed what she described as a “difficult relationship” between Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and several WNBA players as calls for Engelbert to step down.

“I would say they would probably be looking for a change in leadership. I just think it might be very divided at this point,” Hammon said.

In late September, Minnesota Lynx star Navisa Collier publicly criticized Engelbert’s leadership, saying the commissioner had shown a lack of empathy toward players regarding pay issues and ongoing management problems.

Collier recounted comments Engelbert reportedly made during a meeting in February. These comments sparked widespread backlash and prompted many other players to express their concerns about the commissioner.

Hamon indicated that the situation may now be irreparable.

“I don’t know if she can regret it and step back and get that interest back from those conversations,” Hammon said.

“The only thing that… [league] “What he always stands for is that when players talk, people need to sit up and listen,” Hammon said. “I believe [Engelbert is] Sit down and listen now.”

The WNBA declined to comment, but pointed CNBC to Engelbert’s business track record.

Engelbert took the helm of 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 achieved record growth in finances, attendance and viewership, according to the league. She also helped negotiate the 2020 collective bargaining agreement and media rights deal that brought the league from $60 million annually to $200 million annually in media revenue.

She also supervised the expansion of the league, adding six new teams in recent years. CNBC previously reported that the newest franchises — teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — each paid a record $250 million in expansion fees.

In 2024, Engelbert implemented league-wide charter flights and upgraded the team’s accommodations to five-star hotels, marking another major step in the league’s professionalism.

But players argue they are underpaid compared to their NBA counterparts — and because of the league’s growing popularity.

In a press conference on October 3, before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Engelbert acknowledged the criticism surrounding her relationship with players and pledged to make changes.

“If players don’t feel valued and appreciated by the league, I have to do a better job,” Engelbert said.

The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of the Nov. 30 deadline.

Hammon, a former WNBA All-Star, made history as the first woman to serve as a head coach in the NBA when she filled in for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in 2020 during her tenure as an assistant coach with the team.

In 2021, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces announced that Hammon would take over as head coach. She has led the team to three championships in the past four years and is inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.