Sophie Cunningham Says Next WNBA Commissioner Must ‘Unite Everybody’

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said Monday that the next WNBA commissioner needs to unite a league with "all types of walks" in it.

Cunningham spoke after Fever practice, in comments reported by Sporting News and posted on video by The Athletic's James Boyd. Cathy Engelbert announced Sept. 4 that she will retire at the end of the year, and her successor is expected to take over in 2027.

Getting to know players from other walks of life is part of what Cunningham enjoys about the league.

"The WNBA has always been a place for people to feel safe and comfortable," Cunningham said. "I think there are all types of walks in this league, which I think is absolutely awesome. But I think with that, you need someone who is going to unite everybody, because it can be so different."

Sophie Cunningham Wants Commissioner Who Can Unite WNBA

Cunningham has no candidate of her own. NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to make the hire, and ESPN reported that the search will begin later this month.

"God no. … I have talked to [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver a couple times," Cunningham said. "… I think he's gonna put someone in place who really wants to even take our league to another level."

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, speaking Monday in Minneapolis, ruled herself out for the job.

WNBA Has Discussed Transgender Athlete Eligibility

In a July profile with ESPN , Cunningham said she opposes transgender girls and women competing in girls' and women's sports. She said she wanted to "protect biological women." Small rallies and protests followed at Fever road games in Seattle and Portland .

On Aug. 12, a WNBA task force of team executives met virtually to discuss transgender athlete eligibility and online vitriol directed at players. Engelbert had outlined the meeting in a memo to teams days earlier. The league said afterward that no immediate eligibility matter was before it.

League rules state that only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA. The rules do not define "women." There are no openly transgender players in the league.

Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White later declared for the 2027 WNBA draft, saying they identify as women. League sources told ESPN and The Associated Press that neither is eligible. Freedom has said he would drop his draft effort if the league limited eligibility explicitly to biological females.

On Aug. 23, Freedom was removed from a Fever game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena after a verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud . He was sitting courtside in a shirt that read "WOMAN noun. adult human female." The Sky banned him indefinitely from home games.

Freedom filed a federal lawsuit Sept. 3 against the Sky, the city of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, alleging his First Amendment rights were violated. Sky owner Michael Alter called the suit "meritless and frivolous."

Cunningham Wants Players-First Commissioner

Cunningham also said she wants a "players-first" commissioner. Players and the league reached a new collective bargaining agreement in March after negotiations that lasted nearly 18 months. Maximum contracts under the deal are worth $1.4 million this season.

Cunningham said the next commissioner will have to make hard decisions.

"If you have that open line of communication, that respect level, I think that it just feels different," Cunningham said.

Last week, Cunningham floated herself for the job on her podcast with co-host Drew Hanlen. She listed changes she would make, including a functional practice facility for every team, more respect between league management and players, more games, and more money.

"Honestly, the more I think about that, I think I should be the commissioner," Cunningham told Hanlen. "I think I could get this (expletive) on the right track. Let me tell you that."

In August, Cunningham told USA Today that the commissioner job could be open after this season and called for a leader who is "bold."

Indiana acquired Cunningham from the Phoenix Mercury in a four-team trade in February 2025.

The Fever are 26-14 and have clinched a playoff berth. With four games left, they sit fifth in the standings, and Atlanta holds the tiebreaker for fourth. Indiana is three games behind the Golden State Valkyries for second.

The Fever play the Toronto Tempo on Friday and then face the Washington Mystics . They close the regular season with two games against the Minnesota Lynx.