Why The WNBA Commissioner Role Is Under Pressure

We weigh the WNBA’s rapid business growth against the messy reality of player relations and why that tension could put commissioner Kathy Engelbert under real pressure. Then we pitch fan-first changes like a dunk contest and a winter league, plus what we’re watching after the All-Star break when games start to feel like the playoffs. 

• Commissioner performance through the lens of expansion, sponsorships, media rights and financial growth  
• Concerns around player relations, labor relations, officiating oversight and crisis communication  
• Why a player-led league rises or falls on trust with star players  
• Adding a WNBA dunk contest as an All-Star Weekend draw and whether a nine-foot rim makes sense  
• The case for a WNBA winter league to showcase young talent and boost year-round marketing  
• Post-All-Star break expectations like shorter rotations, tougher games and clearer team evaluation  

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Transcript

Welcome And Today’s WNBA Menu

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey and as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about some WNBA topics. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment tell anyone who's anyone about the show. Trying to get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. And if you wonder where you heard this before, that's that you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support. Now, we gotta talk about a couple things WNBA related, right?

Engelbert’s Job And Player Relations

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Like Kathy Ingelbert, the WNBA commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, she might not be the commissioner going forward. Keep in mind, right? We don't know if it's if it's gonna happen, but some stakeholders in the WNBA have made this claim. Now keep in mind things like business growth, sponsorships, you know, media rights, expansion, financial management. Kathy cool. Like folks don't really mind Kathy Engelberg as much. Okay, she does her job. It's it's the player relations, right? The crisis communication, the officiating oversight, the labor relations, things like that, the dealings with the players. That's the issue. See, we've seen a bevy of teams starting to form up, right? Like we've already seen three teams, three new teams, with about three other teams coming up. We even had the Houston Comets coming back into De Vol, ladies and gentlemen. So it's an exciting time for the WNBA. We've seen charter flights now, right? Like we've seen more media deals in Kathy Engelbert's tenure. When I say 2019 was when she started, so she's been doing a phenomenal job for from a league perspective. But how do we get the players more involved, right? How do we get her to have a better relationship with the players? That might be the biggest criticism of Kathy Engleberg. And to be clear, you need to have a positive relationship with your star players, with players in general, because this is a player-led league. Like a lot of people are watching the WNBA for players such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, Paige Beckers, Asia Wilson, Olivia Miles, Nafisa Collier, Brianna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, we're watching to see these star talents do their thing on the court, get a bucket on the court, stop players from get a bucket on the court, assist players to get a bucket on the court. So you gotta manage your relationships properly. And if Kathy's not doing that, I understand she's expanding the league. But again, the league starts with the players. So if you're not able to manage the players properly, if you're not able to have a positive working relationship with the players, then I can understand maybe a new commissioner may be the case. Like it's not what you know in life, it's who you know. And if you're not knowing these players, well, how are we gonna truly expand the league? How are we gonna truly make the league better? That's a that's a very valid question, Mark. So again, ladies and gentlemen, there may be a world where we don't see the WNBA commissioner in the near future. And that's kind of crazy to think about it. Actually, I didn't mind Kathy. Because again, the WNBA has been growing, but we can always improve. So let's let's note this, right? Hopefully Kathy doesn't lose her job, but at the same time, I'm looking for the growth. I'm focusing on the growth of the WNBA and its players more than just one individual. So, you know, let's see what happens with that.

All Star Weekend With A Dunk Contest

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Now again, I've say I've stated that the WNBA is not in a bad position. Even all-star games, I I genuinely do enjoy. But could we change the all-star game a little bit? I think we can make some improvements around the WNBA across the board. I know people have talked about, oh, let's move the rim to nine feet, right? Well, I do think we could do that in the all-star game. Not the all-star game specifically. I'm talking about the weekend. What if we added a WNBA dunk contest, but just lowered the rim? Like, imagine if you got to see Dominique Malonga, Alwa Fam, Britney Gright, Britney Griner, and Britney Sykes almost combine Griner and Sykes. That's crazy. But I think those that would be an interesting WNBA contest. Because we've already already seen Malonga sit up there and drop step dunk. We've already seen Awfam be able to dunk. We've already seen Britney Griner dunk. Wasn't she like the third player to dunk in the WNBA's history? And I'm pretty confident in Britney Sykes' dunking ability, especially if we lower the rim, because she can get up there for sure. Like she's an elite rebounder from a guard from a guard position. And I'm I'm not gonna say she can't win the dunk contest, ladies and gentlemen. So I think adding a dunk contest to the WNBA's All-Star Weekend could be entertaining. I know for I know for a fact, at least the first one would be the most viewed WNBA All-Star event that weekend. I promise you. At least the first one, because of the hype, the anticipation, people want to see a dunk contest. So again, I think that's something we can add to the all-star weekend. So, you know, when we're talking about Kathy and maybe her not being here, maybe her adding something like a dunk contest could keep her on keep her job. Just saying, maybe that happens.

The Case For A WNBA Winter League

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Or I know summer league for the NBA just ended, right? We just saw the uh Warriors win the championship versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Not gonna happen in the NBA championship for a bevy of reasons, but what happens if the WNBA added added their own summer league? Me and my boy Chris on the show on Get a Bucket said that there should be a winter league, right? I know there's a Project B league that some women are taking place, like our fam's already in there, Neko Goomkey's already in there, right? So I know there's a Project B league, but what if there was a winter league? Like there is a summer league for the NBA, a WNBA winter league to showcase the young guns. And keep in mind, it wouldn't necessarily be the rookies, because the rookies of the WNBA are still gonna be in college, they're gonna be playing in college. Now, if there's a world where maybe they could play in some of these games, that could be one thing. That could be cool to see. But I think this is gonna be more so for the sophomores, for the players who might not get that much PT on the court. Maybe this is your time to showcase, but it would be cool, it would be interesting, it'd be smooth to see a winter league take place for the WNBA. I think we're adding more eyes, more viewership now for the NBA for the WNBA. I think that's more marketing ability for the WNBA. How much money they put into it is another discussion for another day. But again, I think a winter league would be something kind of smooth. And again, I've talked about that before. So, I mean, Kathy, again, if you're listening, maybe you may want to invest in this winter league, just like how the NBA has a summer league. It's pretty entertaining, okay? You get to showcase off your young talent. I mean, why not do it? I think it's I think it would be kind of smooth. And you keep again the WNBA's name buzzing year round. So, but again, that's just another little idea that you can take or leave. You know what I'm saying?

Post All Star Trends Worth Judging

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Now, post-all-star trends, ladies and gentlemen, because again, we got the all-star break coming up. So here's what I'm looking forward to seeing after the all-star break, right? Shorter rotations, okay? Because right now, the Ross, like the standings, those aren't going to change, but so much. Unless you have like a major injury, knock on wood. I don't think we're gonna see too, too many changes in terms of standings. Like, no teams are gonna be replaced, I don't think. If so, again, it would be due to injuries occurring to a team, because we've already seen enough out of all the teams to know, okay, this is probably gonna be the playoff standings. The seatings may shift a little bit, but the teams, I think, are gonna stay the same. So we're gonna see shorter rotations because we're gonna see more playoff style basketball. We're gonna see tougher basketball games, ladies and gentlemen. Because again, everybody's trying to fight for the playoffs. So the good teams are gonna do what the good teams do. Sometimes you're gonna lose for sure. Sometimes a worse team will get the better of a better team. We're gonna see the good teams do what the good teams do. We're gonna see the stars emerge because, again, it's the second half of the season. They're now starting to really hit their stride physically. So I'm expecting to see like uh Brianna Stewart continue to dominate the way she's been doing. Asia Wilson continue to dominate the way she's been doing. Nefisa Collier, probably gonna take a little second, but she's gonna get back to her form because again, she already looked pretty good in her debut. Like the stars are going to emerge a little bit more during this time period. So that's why I'm looking forward to see which stars do actually emerge. And then also the judging can actually begin. Like, actually judging teams now, like when the Atlanta Dream lost five in a row, I was disappointed. I wasn't judging them too much. I still viewed them as a contender, even though they lost five in a row, because again, it was fairly early on in the season. So again, now is the time to judge them. If I see another five-game losing streak, that's a cause for pause. I may not view them as a contender. Or if a team goes on a five, six game winning streak against tough quality opponents and then continues to win afterwards. Hey, maybe we need to note that team as a team that's pretty good. So, again, this is when the judging aspect of the WNBA commences, ladies and gentlemen. So, for the post-all-star trends, these are things that I'm looking forward to watching. Who plays the best basketball, who plays with the most cohesion, who play who executes the best, and how are the stars doing? How are the role players doing? These are things that I'm gonna start officially judging on after the all-star weekend.

Fan Questions And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_00 9:48

So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. But I'm curious, what do you all think about Kathy Ingelbert thus far? Has she done her job? Also, what would you like to see if we did have a dunk contest for the WNBA? I mean, who would you like to see? And then also, are you okay with the rim being lowered to nine feet? Would y'all like to watch that? I'm curious your thoughts. Also, would you like to watch a WNBA Winter League? Let me know your thoughts. Let me know your what you know what are your gripes about it too. Like, I like the idea, but obviously it it could, you know, you got to make sure you get all the risks situated. So I'm curious what are your risks? What are your what are your cons about the situation? And then also, what are you looking forward to watching after the all-star break? I'd like to know your thoughts. But, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, like I said, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone one, about the WNBA, and two, about my show. My name's Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.