Sophie Cunningham expresses thoughts on next WNBA commissioner, has discussed them with Adam Silver

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has discussed the soon-to-be vacant WNBA commissioner's job with Adam Silver after the NBA commissioner reached out to her.

“I have talked to Adam Silver a couple times, and I think he’s a great guy,” Cunningham said Monday after a Fever practice during the women’s FIBA World Cup break. “He was very knowledgeable and full of wisdom and so getting to talk to him and hear his perspective of how he approaches the NBA is huge, who he’s kind of looking for. I think if you want to know the real answers, you go to him.

“But I think he’s going to put someone in place who really wants to take our league to another level than it’s already at,” Cunningham added. “Our league is booming, so why would we not (want) someone who’s going to make it even more booming?”

Current commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently announced she would retire at the end of the year. Silver has a long history of speaking with players about various topics in the NBA or the WNBA, though the NBA declined to specifically address what Silver and Cunningham discussed.

Cunningham, however, was more outspoken about the traits and characteristics she wants to see in the WNBA's next leader, though she didn't share names of any possible candidates she might have in mind.

Cunningham has emerged as a polarizing player this season because of her position on transgender athletes competing in women's and girls sports. She has not backed down from her opinion despite a backlash that has included fans of Cunningham and her stance being confronted at games.

Yet Cunningham believes the league needs a unifier.

“I think the WNBA has always been a place for people to feel safe and comfortable. I think there's all types of walks in this organization, or in this league, which I think is absolutely awesome,” Cunningham said. “But I do think with that you need someone who's going to unite everybody because it can be so different. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I think it makes it a lot of fun.”

She also wants someone committed to helping the league continue to grow.

The WNBA has seen ticket and merchandising sales, television ratings and interest in the league soar since the Fever drafted Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 selection in 2024 even amid the many controversies about everything from whether the hard fouls that Clark has taken this season are too hard to questions about Englebert's leadership.

Engelbert's accomplishments include signing a new, richer television contract, a new collective bargaining agreement and added charter flights for teams.

Cunningham said it may be time for the league to discuss if playing games on back-to-back nights creates a better product on the court or if they could be eliminated with shorter in-season breaks — though she noted that's part of the reason for higher salaries.

But the biggest thing Cunningham is looking for is someone who values the players.

“I really do think that you need a commissioner who is players’ first, who wants a relationship with their players," Cunningham said. "I think that’s so important. That doesn’t mean we’re always going to get along, and we’re always going to agree. Like they have a job, they work for the owners, and so they’re going to have to make hard decisions. But if you have that open line of communication and that respect level, I think that it just feels different. I think that is a very important piece for our new commissioner.”

And regardless of the fans or the critics, Cunningham insists she wants the WNBA to continue its overall mission.

“You continue to have a growth mindset and see other people's walks of life and really get to know why they are the way they are, and I think that's truly fun," she said. "Like you are playing the best basketball, you're in the best league in the entire world and you're getting to learn so much about who you are as a human, how other people are as a human. But with all that, with all the diversity you do need someone who's going to unite our league and have a common goal and get us all on the same page. I think that's super important.”

Indiana is waiting for All-Stars Clark and Aliyah Boston and coach Stephanie White to rejoin the team. The trio was part of the United States’ gold-medal winning team in Berlin. The Fever resume play on Friday at Toronto.

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