The WNBA might have a scheduling conflict, as per the words of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Despite the WNBA expanding the season to 44 games, that might be all they can do for the time being. On the Bill Simmons Podcast, the commissioner detailed why there’s such a problem with adding more games to the schedule. “The problem is, every other year we have an international competition,” Engelbert said. “So next year it’ll be the FIBA World Cup. Then, two years after that, we have LA28, which we love. “The Olympics, the fact that the women won eight consecutive gold medals, the US Women’s National Basketball team, and they’re going for their ninth in LA is amazing. So we have to support those international competitions.” International competitions and leagues are the backbone of plenty of players. For instance, Phoenix Mercury center Kalani Brown said she went to China in the offseason for the money. Not to mention, and most importantly, it’s an opportunity to keep playing basketball. That’s what the majority of the players want, in terms of the schedule. They want the chance to keep playing. Cathy Engelbert clarifies why the WNBA season is hard to expand However, there’s another piece to the puzzle. It involves the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Although they voted to expand the season, there are other elements to be dissected. As Engelbert described, international competitions with USA Basketball and FIBA could make matters interesting. Regardless of that, the commissioner sees the opportunity to keep expanding. “Yeah, I can definitely see us going to 50,” Engelbert said. “It’s collectively bargained, so right now the max is 44, and the question is, do we want to go into November and crossover with the NBA and college basketball? “Because people don’t understand, there’s not much you can do on the front end because we love the college draft and we love the rookies.” That WNBA rookie pipeline is essential for the league, as even the 2024 rookie class was one of the best in league history. They won’t plan on starting the season earlier because of their adoration for the WNBA Draft. At the end of the day, Engelbert sees the possibility of expanding the season. However, it will take a great deal of planning. It might even include back-to-backs, which players aren’t too fond of, anyway. Either way, the league seems to be in good hands right now. That alone is an encouraging sign, considering where the league once was.