Cathy Engelbert Retires, Team USA Heads To FIBA Knockouts + Referee Pioneer Violet Palmer

Cathy Engelbert is stepping down as WNBA Commissioner at the end of 2026, closing the book on one of the most consequential—and complicated—tenures in league history. We break down the massive growth the WNBA experienced under her leadership, from soaring franchise valuations and expansion to new media rights, charter flights and transformational player salaries, while also examining the strained player relationships, controversies and criticism that came to define the latter part of her tenure.Then we head to Berlin for the FIBA Women’s World Cup, where Team USA gave everyone a scare with a 55-52 win over Italy before responding in a big way with a dominant 105-64 victory over Czechia. We discuss what went wrong against Italy, what changed against Czechia, the impact of Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Jackie Young, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, and whether France may be emerging as Team USA’s biggest threat heading into the knockout rounds.Plus, Jordan Robinson sits down with basketball officiating legend Violet Palmer, the first woman to referee an NBA regular-season game. Palmer talks about breaking barriers, what fans misunderstand about officiating, handling players and coaches, how referees are trained and evaluated, the growing role of replay and technology, freedom of movement, and what it takes to make calls at the highest level of basketball.