Sophie Cunningham Says She's Been Advising Adam Silver on Next WNBA Commissioner

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham says NBA commissioner Adam Silver has reached out to her personally for input on who should take over as WNBA commissioner once Cathy Engelbert steps down at the end of 2026.

"I have talked to Adam Silver a couple times, and I think he's a great guy," Cunningham told reporters Monday after a Fever practice during the women's FIBA World Cup break, according to the Associated Press. "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."

Silver oversees the WNBA commissioner search since the position reports to him, according to Field Level Media. The NBA declined to say specifically what Silver and Cunningham discussed, per the Associated Press and multiple outlets that carried the same report.

Cunningham didn't name any candidates. But she laid out what she's looking for: someone who builds on the league's growth and someone who treats players as partners rather than an afterthought.

"I think the WNBA has always been a place for people to feel safe and comfortable," Cunningham said. "But I do think with that you need someone who's going to unite everybody because it can be so different."

"I really do think that you need a commissioner who is players' first, who wants a relationship with their players," she added, according to Field Level Media. "That doesn't mean we're always going to get along, and we're always going to agree. 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."

Why Cunningham's voice carries weight here

Cunningham has been the league's most polarizing player this season over her public stance against transgender athletes competing in women's and girls sports, according to the Associated Press, the Guardian and Fox News. She has not backed off that position despite what the AP describes as fans confronting her and her supporters at road arenas.

Cunningham's push for a "players first" commissioner occurs in a specific frame. She's asking for someone who will engage directly with players who hold minority or unpopular views inside the locker room, not just the ones aligned with league messaging. The Washington Post reported in July, as cited by the Daily Wire, that stars Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart said they talk to Silver more than they talk to Engelbert, and Stewart said there "was not much of a relationship" with the outgoing commissioner.

Engelbert's tenure involved real, measurable wins. She oversaw a new, richer television contract, a new collective bargaining agreement, and the addition of charter flights for teams, according to the Guardian, Click Orlando and NBC Sports. These are tangible gains for players' pay and travel conditions.

At the same time, Fox News and the Daily Wire framed her exit in harsher terms. Fox News ran commentary from Dan Dakich calling her tenure a "trainwreck" and predicting she'll be remembered as one of the worst commissioners in sports history. The Daily Wire quoted sports commentator Clay Travis flatly asserting Engelbert is "being fired," not retiring, a characterization no news report in this set actually confirms. Engelbert herself has described her departure as retirement, and no source establishes she was forced out. That's an opinion, not a fact, and it should be read as one.

The Guardian and the Associated Press gave equal weight to Engelbert's contract and CBA wins alongside the criticism of her handling of on-court controversies and locker-room tension. That's the more complete picture: real accomplishments, real friction, and a departure whose cause hasn't been established as anything other than what Engelbert says it is.

What's actually still open

No timeline has been set publicly for naming Engelbert's successor. Silver hasn't named finalists, and the NBA hasn't confirmed the criteria beyond what players like Cunningham, Ionescu and Stewart have volunteered to reporters.

Silver could pick someone from inside the NBA's existing structure, which would tighten the league's control over WNBA operations, or an outside hire with dedicated women's-sports experience. Cunningham's ask—a unifier who talks to players regardless of what they believe—will be tested the moment a name is announced.