Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve says she would 'absolutely not' consider commissioner role
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Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve on Monday called the league commissioner role a “thankless” and “hard job,” saying she would not want the WNBA’s top gig.
“Most people don't know the full scope of a commissioner's job, and I think that there's a lot of boxes maybe the person, an ideal person, could check,” Reeve said Monday at practice.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Sept. 4 she would retire at the end of the year to the surprise of many. Engelbert took the role in 2019, ushering the WNBA through dwindling attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic, the explosion in popularity following star Caitlin Clark’s entry and the overhaul of free agency in the most recent collective bargaining agreement.
Tensions with Engelbert have at times run high across the league. That includes Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who, after the Lynx’s loss in the semifinals to the Phoenix Mercury and amid intense collective bargaining negotiations, criticized the commissioner for taking players for granted.
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“We have the best league in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said. “Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”
While Reeve said she does not want Engelbert’s job, she did share a checklist of what she would like to see in the next commissioner during a Monday press conference, the first since the U.S. Women’s National Team returned from a championship-winning FIBA international tournament.
“I think your key stakeholders having the buy-in and, you know, at least have a pulse on things. I think that's important,” she said. “So you can't just be a business person. You can't just be a relationship person.”
Since her first WNBA coaching job with the Charlotte Sting in 2001, Reeve has been uniquely positioned to watch the league’s growth. She earned the title of the winningest coach in WNBA history earlier this season and is a two-time WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year as the Lynx general manager in 2019 and the president of basketball operations in 2024.
Earlier this year, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Reeve, known for her blunt demeanor, said Monday the commissioner has to manage different personalities.
“You don't necessarily make a lot of friends along the way. That's not the point,” she said. “But you have to have the ability to collaborate and connect with people, and to do your job and to sort of steward the path of the WNBA. ”
She also hopes the next commissioner can set an example for leaguewide interactions.
“That's whether it's business or basketball, and whether it's players or executives or league personnel,” Reeve said. “I think we could use some, you know, a real strong dose of some chemistry throughout the entire league.”
When asked if she would consider the role, Reeve bluntly said no.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I have none of those things.”
Veteran guard Kayla McBride echoed similar hopes for the league’s next commissioner during a Monday media availability.
“Where women’s basketball is right now, we need somebody at the helm that can continue to develop us forward and that cares about the players. That’s really all it is,” McBride said.
With four games remaining before the WNBA playoffs, the first-place Minnesota Lynx take the court again at Target Center on Friday.
