There was still a sting in Marine Johannes' voice when she discussed turning the page from the FIBA World Cup back to the Liberty season. Johannes had been part of the French squad that fell to the United States in the gold medal game.
France had dominated its way to the final, looking like it was on the path to gold. But a 97-79 loss to the Americans put a halt to that. And Johannes still felt a bit of sadness over it.
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"Well, it's not easy," Johannes said of World Cup loss. "We just got back Tuesday here. We had something to do in Paris for the French Federation, so it's hard.
"Like, your mind is still there. Like, you are thinking about the tournament."
The Liberty guard can have a sense of pride in her effort during the tournament in Germany.
Johannes finished second on the French squad in points per game with 14.0 and rebounds with 3.3.
France reached the final at the World Cup for the first time in history, and Johannes was happy with the "good young group" France has.
France's Dominique Malonga (left) Marieme Badiane (center) and Marine Johannes react after receiving their silver medals after the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup loss to the United States on Sept. 13, 2026 in Berlin. AFP via Getty Images
"It's pretty positive, actually," she said.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced she would be retiring at the end of 2026 while the FIBA World Cup was going on, and Breanna Stewart said that she had no idea at first about the news, indicating it had come out while Team USA was playing.
Marine Johannes shoots the ball during the first half of the Liberty's win over the Fever on Aug. 22, 2026 at Barclays Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Engelbert's reign as commissioner has faced its challenges, especially recently, with some of the discourse that has engulfed the league, but Stewart wanted to give the outgoing commish her due credit as well.
"I would just continue to kind of express gratitude towards Cathy," Stewart said. "I know it wasn't all sparkly and great and good and all of that. But in the end, she was also one that helped create a historic CBA deal. Can't forget to give her those flowers and we'll see who's going to come up next."
The WNBA has not indicated who will take over the role after Engelbert retires.
