Five WNBA teams hired new head coaches after the 2025 season. Only one of those jobs went to a former player. The Toronto Tempo hired Sandy Brondello, who is already well established as one of the most successful coaches in the W. The only other former players in head coaching positions are Stephanie White and Becky Hammon.
The teams’ decisions not to center former players—or women, especially Black women, in general—sparked quite the debate among fans. New head coaching opportunities could have easily meant that former players like Briann January, Kristy Toliver, or Lindsey Harding would take on bigger roles.
Stephanie White doesn’t just want to see more former players in coaching positions, though. She also wants them to take on team and league office roles.
“I also want us to have former players in GM roles and president roles and at the Commissioner’s office and in the league because we do see it from a different point of view and we’re not just hiring necessarily a name or a candidate, we’re hiring the right person for the job if we’re hiring someone who continues to value our league and continues to move the needle for our league,” White said when she appeared on Sue Bird’s podcast Bird’s Eye View.
Several former players currently act as GMs in the WNBA
A few WNBA teams currently have former players as their GMs. The Sparks hired Raegan Pebley, who played for the Utah Starzz and Cleveland Rockers in the league’s early years, in 2024. Mystics GM Jamila Wideman also played for the Sparks, Rockers, Fire, and Sun during that time. Toronto Tempo GM Monica Wright Roger’s was a top pick in the 2010 Draft and won two titles with the Lynx. Last but not least, Sun GM Morgan Tuck played from 2016 to 2020 and won a title with the Storm in her last season.
This isn’t the first call for change in the Commissioner’s office
After an explosive press conference in which Napheesa Collier called WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert the “worst leadership in the world” and other players overwhelmingly agreed with her, some changes in the Commissioner’s office seem inevitable. Even if a new CBA is signed soon, it seems that the relationship between Engelbert and the players is beyond repair. So, with a new CBA, the WNBA may also see some new leadership. Whether that will include any former players remains to be seen.
Many current players have strong business backgrounds. Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, for example, founded Unrivaled. A’ja Wilson owns a candle company, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Angel Reese both launched clothing lines, and Caitlin Clark as well as most other young players are balancing a great deal of brand partnerships. Some of them would be great fits in GM, team president, or roles in the Commissioner’s office. However, there are also former players already killing it in the business world. Lisa Leslie, for example, owns a real estate firm. Candace Parker owns a production company, invested in Project B, and is the president of Adidas women’s basketball while also having a successful broadcasting career.