Stephen Curry Urges WNBA Dialogue to Center on Basketball

NBA star Stephen Curry, speaking at his annual Curry Cup youth-golf event, said the conversation surrounding the WNBA should stay “focused on basketball.” He warned that recent storylines have been “unfortunate” because they have drifted into political and cultural debates, and he urged the league’s next commissioner to keep the spotlight on the sport itself. Curry added that the league’s growing fan base and rising television ratings deserve celebration of the players as “great ambassadors of the game.”

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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced earlier this month that she will retire at the end of 2026. Her tenure saw significant economic gains for the league, including a new collective- bargaining agreement, and she helped guide the WNBA to record attendance and viewership figures. The upcoming leadership change is seen as a pivotal moment for the league’s future direction.

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Curry praised the WNBA’s on-court product and its athletes, emphasizing that “let’s celebrate these amazing women” while urging new leadership to maintain a basketball-centric focus. He also referenced his broader involvement in women’s sports, noting his investment in the women’s 3-on-3 league Unrivaled. In parallel, Engelbert’s retirement announcement highlighted the league’s recent successes and set the stage for a successor who will inherit both the achievements and the challenges of keeping the sport front-and-center.

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The WNBA is currently experiencing its highest attendance numbers and television ratings in league history, reflecting a surge in public interest that aligns with Curry’s call to spotlight the game itself.

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• “I'm going to go after everybody ... we've had meetings with Caitlin, with Paige [Bueckers],” — Stephen Curry, women's sports investor — Stephen Curry, women’s sports investor

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