Sophie Cunningham makes request to new WNBA Chief replacing 'awkward' Cathy Engelbert
Sophie Cunningham makes request to new WNBA Chief replacing 'awkward' Cathy Engelbert
Tom MalleyWed, September 16, 2026 at 12:22 PM UTC
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Sophie Cunningham has provided her latest demand for the next WNBA Commissioner -Credit:X/@RomeovilleKid
Sophie Cunningham has requested the next WNBA commissioner to "unite our league" following a period of turbulence under Cathy Engelbert in recent months.
Engelbert, the current WNBA commissioner, is due to step down from her role at the end of the year, citing the league's stable financial health and a personal desire to step away after outlasting her initial timeline in a statement issued earlier this month.
The 61-year-old's decision leaves NBA Commissioner Adam Silver with the huge task of finding an adequate replacement, one who can act as a "unifying figure" to mend the fractured relationships throughout the league while sustaining its explosive commercial growth.
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Indiana Fever star Cunningham, 30, has been one of the most outspoken figures on the ordeal and last week said on her podcast that "making sure every team has a functional practice facility" would be her first order of business if she were the next WNBA commissioner.
Now, she has revealed a fresh stance on what she believes the next commissioner should prioritize.
"The WNBA has always been a place for people to feel safe and comfortable. I think there's all types of walks [of life] in this league, which I think is absolutely awesome," Cunningham began to The Athletic's James Boyd on Monday.
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"But I do think with that, you need someone who is 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.
"[...] But with all that, with all the diversity, you do need someone who's gonna unite our league and have a common goal and get us all on the same page, and I think that's super important."
Cunningham, however, wasn't done there; she went on to expand on how the next WNBA commissioner needs to unite the league, suggesting that these were all things Englebert had failed to do during her tenure.
"My second thing is, I really do think that you need a commissioner who is players first, who wants a relationship with their players. I think that's so important," Cunningham continued.
Cathy Engelbert will step down from her role as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year -Credit:Getty Images
"That doesn't mean that we're always going to get along or we're always going to agree, like, they have a job, they work for the owners, so they're going to have to make hard decisions.
"But if you have that open line of communication, that respect level, I think that it just feels different. So I think that is a very important piece for our new commissioner."
It comes after Cunningham shared some insight into what it was like to be in the room with Engelbert, explaining how discussions and meetings with her were awkward, with the latter's demeanor on full display.
"We would be in the same room with each other, we wouldn't even say 'hi', and there would only be like five people in the room — like, is that not weird or awkward?" Cunningham said. "Just be friendly — just be a human, like whatever."
Source: “AOL Sports”
