Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham believes the WNBA could benefit from a leadership change as commissioner Cathy Engelbert approaches the end of her current contract.
Speaking with USA Today, Cunningham suggested Engelbert’s position could become available after the 2026 season.
“You do have to have a person in power who is bold, who is confident, who wants the best for the players and not maybe for themselves all the time,” Cunningham said.
“So I do feel like, as a whole, that could be a position that’s maybe open at the end of the year, but that’s not my call.”
Engelbert is completing her seventh year as commissioner, and her deal is scheduled to expire following the current season.
Cunningham acknowledged the difficulty of the job but said the league needs leadership that shares the players’ ambitions for its future.
“(Cathy Engelbert’s) done a lot of good things, but with where our league is trying to go, I feel like you just want someone who also wants that,” Cunningham said.
“That’s just a hard position to be in, in her shoes, us as players – we always want more, more, more because we see how good it can be, but … that’s up to [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver at the end of the day.”
Silver previously praised Engelbert’s work but stopped short of confirming whether she would continue beyond 2026.
“I think Cathy continues to do a strong job building that league,” Silver said. “We’ll have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like.”
Silver also said he was “pleased” with the “tremendous progress” achieved during Engelbert’s tenure, which has included significant expansion and a new CBA.
Still, Engelbert has faced criticism over her relationship with players and her handling of several league issues.
Sophie Cunningham hints at WNBA commissioner shakeup as she goes after Cathy Engelbert https://t.co/PnNQM1zLcG pic.twitter.com/l7MgSJ9hp1
— New York Post (@nypost) August 19, 2026
