Bob Hope Patriotic Hall was the site of a compelling forum led by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the Los Angeles Sparks’ Chiney Ogwumike on Tuesday night.
There was conversation about the collective bargaining agreement the WNBA signed with the WNBPA, the overall status of the league and how to continue the expansion and growth of women’s sports.
.@WNBA Commissioner @CathyEngelbert speaking on gaining the trust of the players. #GoSparks #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/lMCMIDJdOb
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) February 26, 2020
.@WNBA Commissioner @CathyEngelbert speaking on the newly added Commissioner’s Cup🏆#GoSparks #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/PqjMMBpxo7
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) February 26, 2020
“That’s why I wanted to be here, I wanted to be surrounded by champions.” – @Chiney321 #GoSparks #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/5YLsM8iQio
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) February 26, 2020
Engelbert admitted that she did not necessarily know what awaited her when she threw her hat into the ring for the commissioner job, but that getting large items accomplished starts with the smaller steps.
I didn’t know a lot about the teams and the players and I didn’t have enough time to build significant relationships. I’m a big believer in you have to do some small things of symbolic value to build trust and then you get the bigger things done.
–Cathy Engelbert
Another topic that came up during the forum was the Commissioner’s Cup. Engelbert reiterated that 60 games (10 per team) as going towards Cup play. The teams from both conferences will then vie for the Commissioner’s Cup title and a prize pool of $750,000. The championship game for the Commissioner’s Cup (which also added two games per team) is set to take place after the WNBA’s Olympic break.
Two things that were brought up during the conversation are sure to make headlines in WNBA circles. Being in Los Angeles, Engelbert was sure to be asked about the late, great Kobe Bryant. Engelbert mentioned how he would be seen wearing an orange hoodie with the WNBA’s logo while sitting courtside at games. She said that the hoodie, which is at the NBA store in New York City, now has a nickname – the GiGi hoodie.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says the orange WNBA logo hoodie Kobe Bryant was wearing has now been nicknamed the GiGi hoodie at the NBA store in New York. @CathyEngelbert #Winsidr pic.twitter.com/3VnKs0zXRh
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 26, 2020
As far as that Olympic break is concerned – concerns about the coronavirus outbreak have made many rightly concerned on if there will even be a Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The IOC’s Dick Pound recently said that the Olympics may be looking at a canceling if the outbreak is not controlled in three months.
Engelbert told John Davis of Winsidr that the league is closely monitoring the situation.
Wnba Commisioner Cathy Engelbert told me the league is monitoring coronavirus and thinking about special competitions if the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are canceled. Right now the league has a one month break for Olympics. #Tokyo2020 #coronavirus #CoronaVirusUpdates #WNBA #Winsidr pic.twitter.com/lAgjzUM3XG
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 26, 2020
…In my prior life, I did a lot of scenario planning so we’re already thinking about that. Some of my owners have already called to say, ‘What are we going to do because we need to keep the conversation going. We need to keep the focus going.’
–Cathy Engelbert (per Winsidr)
