As the WNBA prepares for its first major leadership transition in seven years, players like Sophie Cunningham are making clear that the next commissioner must be more than a capable executive — they must be a genuine partner to the athletes who give the league its soul. With outgoing commissioner Cathy Engelbert having shepherded remarkable growth while navigating occasional friction with players, the search for her successor arrives at a moment when the league's momentum is undeniable and its internal relationships are under scrutiny. The question being asked in locker rooms and boardrooms al
WNBA Player Cunningham Weighs In on Commissioner Search, Emphasizes Players-First Leadership
You need a commissioner that is players first, who wants a relationship with the players
Mark
So Cunningham has been talking directly with Adam Silver about this search. That's interesting—why would a player have that kind of access to the commissioner search process?
Mimi
Silver is running the search, so he's probably consulting with various stakeholders, including prominent players. Cunningham is a respected voice in the league, and her input matters.
Luke
But we should be careful here. The reporting says she's spoken with Silver "a couple times," which could mean anything from a formal consultation to a casual conversation. We don't know what Silver actually asked her or whether her input is shaping the search in any real way.
Mark
She's pretty clear about what she wants: a players-first commissioner. Is that a realistic ask, given that the commissioner works for the owners?
Mimi
That's the tension she's naming directly. She's not saying the commissioner should side with players over owners. She's saying there needs to be respect and open communication, even when they disagree. That's actually a pretty measured ask.
Luke
Right, but "players first" is a loaded phrase. It could mean different things to different people. And we don't know if other players agree with Cunningham's framing, or if there's disagreement within the locker room about what the priorities should be.
Mark
Engelbert's tenure was marked by growth but also some tension with players. Is Cunningham directly criticizing her?
Mimi
Not directly, but she's clearly pointing to what didn't work. The growth happened, but the relationship suffered. She's saying the next person needs to do both—grow the league and maintain trust with the players.
Luke
The reporting mentions Engelbert's relationship with players was "occasionally strained," but it doesn't give us specifics. What were the actual points of conflict? Without that detail, we're left guessing about what Cunningham is really reacting to.
Le Pouls
- The WNBA's first commissioner search in seven years is underway, and players are not waiting quietly on the sidelines to see who gets chosen.
- Sophie Cunningham has taken the unusual step of speaking directly with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, signaling that athletes intend to have a voice in shaping the league's next chapter.
- Cunningham's core demand is pointed: the next commissioner must be 'players first,' maintaining open communication and genuine respect even when decisions are hard and disagreements are inevitable.
- The outgoing era under Cathy Engelbert delivered historic expansion — twelve teams growing toward eighteen, surging attendance, and landmark media deals — but left behind a complicated relationship with players that the next leader will need to repair.
- The league is, in Cunningham's own framing, 'booming' — and that very success raises the stakes for getting the succession right, because there is now far more to protect and far further to fall.
As the WNBA prepares for its first major leadership transition in seven years, players like Sophie Cunningham are making clear that the next commissioner must be more than a capable executive — they must be a genuine partner to the athletes who give the league its soul. With outgoing commissioner Cathy Engelbert having shepherded remarkable growth while navigating occasional friction with players, the search for her successor arrives at a moment when the league's momentum is undeniable and its internal relationships are under scrutiny. The question being asked in locker rooms and boardrooms alike is whether the next leader will inherit only the league's success, or also its unfinished work of trust.
Sophie Cunningham has been in conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver about the future of WNBA leadership, and she came away from those exchanges with both admiration and a sharply defined wish list for whoever takes the job next.
The Phoenix Mercury guard was candid with reporters this week: the next commissioner must want to push the league further, not simply maintain what already exists. 'Our league is booming,' she said, 'so why would we not want someone who is going to try to make it even more booming?' But ambition alone won't be enough. Cunningham stressed that the WNBA's diversity — the many different backgrounds and perspectives that make up the league — demands a unifying figure, someone capable of holding a wide community together rather than letting it fragment.
Above all, Cunningham returned again and again to the relationship between commissioner and players. She was clear-eyed about the structural reality: the commissioner answers to the owners and will make decisions players won't always welcome. But she argued that open communication and mutual respect can transform that dynamic entirely. 'That doesn't mean we're always going to get along,' she said, 'but if you have that open line of communication and that respect level, it just feels different.'
The search comes as Cathy Engelbert, who became the league's first commissioner in 2019, prepares to retire at the end of 2026. Her tenure produced extraordinary results — attendance, viewership, sponsorship, and franchise values all climbed, and an expansion plan will carry the league from twelve teams to eighteen by 2030. Yet her years in office were also marked by periodic tension with players, a shadow that seems to quietly shape everything Cunningham is asking for now. With the WNBA's first leadership change in seven years approaching, players are watching closely — and making sure they are heard before the decision is made.
Sophie Cunningham has been talking with Adam Silver about who should run the WNBA next, and she has a clear vision for what that person needs to be.
The Phoenix Mercury guard spoke with reporters this week about her conversations with the NBA commissioner, who is overseeing the search to replace Cathy Engelbert. Cunningham said Silver has impressed her—someone with real knowledge of how to lead a major sports league. "Just getting to talk to him and hear his perspective of his approach to the NBA is huge," she said. She didn't name any candidates or speculate about who might get the job, but she was direct about what matters: the next commissioner has to want to push the WNBA even further than it's already gone. "Our league is booming, so why would we not want someone who is going to try to make it even more booming?" she asked.
But growth alone isn't enough. Cunningham emphasized that the next leader must prioritize the players themselves. The WNBA, she said, has always been a place where people from different backgrounds feel welcome and safe. That diversity is a strength, but it also means the commissioner needs to be someone who can unite everyone. "I think there's all types of walks in this organization or in this league, which I think is absolutely awesome, but I do think with that, you need someone who's going to unite everybody because it can be so different," she explained.
What Cunningham really stressed was the relationship between the commissioner and the players. "I really do think that you need a commissioner that is players first, who wants a relationship with the players," she said. She was realistic about what that means—the commissioner works for the owners and will have to make hard decisions that players won't always like. But if there's real communication and mutual respect, the whole dynamic changes. "That doesn't mean we're always going to get along and we're always going to agree," Cunningham said. "But if you have that open line of communication and that respect level, I think that it just feels different."
Engelbert, who became the league's first commissioner in 2019, is stepping down at the end of 2026 after more than forty years in business. Her seven years leading the WNBA coincided with remarkable expansion—attendance, television viewership, sponsorship deals, and franchise values all grew significantly. She also pushed through an expansion plan that will take the league from twelve teams to eighteen by 2030, and negotiated new media rights and collective bargaining agreements. Yet her time in office wasn't without friction. Her relationship with players was sometimes tense, a reality that seems to inform Cunningham's emphasis on what comes next. The search for Engelbert's successor is the first major leadership change the WNBA will undergo in seven years, and Cunningham's comments suggest that players are watching closely to see whether the next commissioner will operate differently.
Citations marquantes
Our league is booming, so why would we not want someone who is going to try to make it even more booming?— Sophie Cunningham
If you have that open line of communication and that respect level, I think that it just feels different.— Sophie Cunningham
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