WNBA boss Cathy Engelbert is heading for the exit ... the league's commissioner will retire at the end of the year after a firestorm of controversy plagued this season.
Engelbert, at the helm for seven seasons, will step away at the end of the year, TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Her time at the top of the league was a mixed bag.
The W grew in many ways, from viewership and attendance to lucrative media deals. They're also expanding, with six more teams joining the league by 2030.
But many of the gains have been overshadowed by controversy.
3:38PM PT -- A Wintrust Arena spokesperson tells TMZ ... "The Chicago Sky's decision to ban Enes Freedom is only applicable to the Chicago Sky or WNBA games, it does not apply to the majority of events at Wintrust Arena, including other sporting events, comedy shows, and concerts."
They declined to comment on Mr. Freedom's lawsuit.
Former NBA star Enes Kanter is taking Chicago Women’s Basketball and the City of Chicago to court -- demanding a permanent injunction lifting the ban on him, TMZ has learned.
In his suit, Enes claimed that he believes deeply that the integrity of women-only sports must be protected and he had made public appearances on this point.
He said he self-identified as a player who is eligible to play in the WNBA because, “such declaration is all that is required by WNBA’s rules and the related Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the players’ association.”
Jacobcaught up with the Colorado congresswoman on Capitol Hill Monday, and asked whether Enes is a hero or simply chasing attention with his campaign against transgender women competing in women's sports.
Boebert squarely sides with Enes ... and even joked his recent confrontation with Chicago Sky guard NatashaCloudwas "quite the cat fight" between "these two women."
TMZ Sports ran into the 5x WNBA All-Star at LAX on Thursday amid the raging controversy ... and Angel didn't hold back, teeing off on not just Kanter, but the guys who have thrown sex toys on the court.
"I just have a question to the guys out there. What is the obsession? The dildos are being thrown on the ground. You guys are coming with the shirts. There's no transgender in the WNBA. So y'all are going on a frenzy about what? What is the obsession with this? Why can't we play and have fun?"
Enes Kanter Freedom's WNBA bid has already hit a speed bump ... because one of the league's teams has banned him from its arena following his verbal altercation with a player.
Michael Alter -- the owner of the Chicago Sky -- announced during a news conference Tuesday that the former NBA star has been banned from Wintrust Arena in the Windy City.
Enes sat down with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, and she asked what sparked his viral altercation with Natasha at Sunday's WNBA game, which led to Enes being booted from the arena.
He says late in the third quarter, Sophie checked into the game and attempted a field goal, and he threw up his hands in celebration. He says Natasha noticed and on the next trip down the floor, she scored and then told him, "Sophie's not gonna sleep with you."
The WNBA has no plans to ban former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom from coming to games as a fan ... even though he was ejected from a Chicago Sky game after a heated exchange with Natasha Cloud.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the plan inside the league is to try and move on and let the controversy die. We're told the league felt a ban wasn't warranted because Enes didn't set foot on the court and he didn't do anything else that was egregious.
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As TMZ reported ... Natasha was livid with Enes -- who was wearing a black shirt that read "woman noun adult human female" -- when they started jawing during the third quarter Sunday as he sat near the court.
Former NBA player and WNBA hopeful Enes Kanter Freedom may have had an intense run-in with authorities at Wintrust Arena Sunday night ... however, he's welcome back as long as the WNBA approves, TMZ has learned.
Enes Kanter Freedom arguing with security while he was escorted out.
A Chicago PD spokesperson tells TMZ ... there have been no reports filed regarding the incident ... even though Enes was seen surrounded by cops after he was removed from the arena for getting in an altercation Sunday with WNBA Chicago Star player Natasha Cloud.
A Wintrust Area spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Based on the incident last night, decisions regarding reprimanding or banning would be the purview of the WNBA."
Ex-NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom got into a heated confrontation with WNBA star Natasha Cloud during a game -- and it ended with Enes getting booted out of the arena!
The drama unfolded in the third quarter of Sunday's matchup between Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and Natasha's Chicago Sky. Natasha scored a basket before the Fever called a timeout, and then Natasha started jawing with Enes, who was sitting courtside.
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Enes stood up and started jawing back. He stretched out his arms and took a few steps toward the court before security stepped in and ejected him.
The trans athlete controversy Sophie Cunningham thrust back into the spotlight spilled into the streets of Brooklyn Saturday ... with rival demonstrations gathering outside Barclays Center ahead of the Fever’s matchup against the New York Liberty.
A group of about 60 supporters came out in defense of Cunningham, while more than 100 trans-rights advocates rallied nearby. NYPD officers and metal barricades divided the crowds as fans headed into the arena.
The Cunningham-focused rally was organized by Liberty fan Dr. Elizabeth Fedak, following the Fever guard’s recent remarks about transgender participation in women’s sports.
Enes Kanter Freedomwants to play in the WNBA next season ... but for this weekend, he'll be a spectator, 'cause the former NBA big man intends to attend the Fever vs. Sky game in Chicago, TMZ Sports has learned.
The 6-foot-10 center is planning to make the trip to Wintrust Arena in Chi-Town for Sunday’s nationally televised matchup ... starring Caitlin Clarkand Sophie Cunningham.
Our sources tell us Kanter is taking "major security measures" to ensure his safety at the arena.
The Dream vs. Sparks game came to a screeching halt Thursday night in Los Angeles after a "fan" threw a green sex toy on the court.
The incident occurred with just under 3 minutes left in the third quarter, as Jihyun Park was at the free-throw line, when the object went flying by the Sparks forward ... prompting officials to halt the action.
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Angel Reese, from the bench, immediately began pointing out the perpetrator in an attempt to lead security to the thrower.
If Enes Kanter Freedom didn't already have enemies in the WNBA, he certainly has one now ... 'cause the former NBA center says his first order of business in the league is dunking on Angel Reese.
The 2027 WNBA Draft hopeful went to social media to react to the Atlanta Dream star's missed game-winning layup against Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever on Sunday ... and suggested she focus on a different career instead of basketball.
"Sis!" EKF said on X. "Once I go No. 1 pick in the 2027 @WNBA Draft, the first player I’m dunking on is Angel Reese. She’s the Paul George of the #WNBA."
Geno Auriemma is revisiting his historic run with the Huskies in a new doc ... and the legendary UCONN coach says the experience left him feeling a whole range of emotions.
“Some of it brought back some great memories. Some of it was a little bit painful to look at," the 12x National Champion winning coach told Babcock, adding, "You shake your head and you're like, 'What are you thinking,' you know?”
Like what? "Some of the dumbass things that I said."
Caitlyn Jenner is weighing in on the increasingly heated debate over transgender athletes in the WNBA ... and she's throwing her support behind two former NBA players who say they're planning to enter the league's draft.
Jenner, a former Olympic gold medalist who transitioned in 2015, publicly backed Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White as they challenge the WNBA over its policies surrounding transgender athletes.
"XX are in, XY are out. It's that simple," Jenner told Fox News, arguing that women's sports need to be protected. She also suggested the former NBA players' moves are exposing what she views as contradictions and the "hypocrisy" in the league's approach to the issue.
Geno Auriemmaisn't buying the latest culture-war freakout surrounding the WNBA!
The legendary UConn women's basketball coach chopped it up with Babcock this week ... and the Hall of Famer chalked up the trans athlete debate as a manufactured non-story, insisting there's nothing to see.
"Well, not to belittle it at all because I don't mean to because listen, you know, people have a right to their opinion. I get it," Auriemma said. "But why are we making a big issue over an issue that doesn't exist?"
