By admin 
With Cathy Engelbert announcing she will step down at the end of the year, the WNBA needs a new commissioner. Engelbert’s NBA counterpart, Adam Silver, told the media during the recent press conference following the NBA Governors’ meeting that his office is currently interviewing search firms to find Cathy’s successor.
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However, veteran sports analyst Jason Whitlock thinks that Silver and the NBA do not need a search firm, nor do they need to look that far. According to Whitlock, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham would make the perfect WNBA commissioner, and it’s not a joke.
“She’s the only one with the chops to handle the job,” said Whitlock. “You don’t need a law degree to run the WNBA. You don’t need endless business experience to run the WNBA. You need balls, basketballs, and Sophie’s got them. You need skin thick enough to withstand the heat. You need convictions strong enough to make bold decisions. You need attitude and charisma. Experience and expertise? Adam Silver and the NBA can provide all of that.”
Sophie Cunningham should replace Cathy Engelbert as the WNBA’s commissioner… pic.twitter.com/g79a5bgXnL
— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) September 16, 2026
Sophie is not afraid to take a stance
It’s crazy to think that the 30-year-old Cunningham would be the next WNBA commissioner because she’s not a lawyer like Silver or a big-time business executive like Engelbert.
However, as Charles Barkley once said, Adam and Cathy failed to act decisively when the transgender issue hit the “W,” which made it a bigger issue than it was supposed to be. Meanwhile, when ESPN asked Sophie about her stance, she took a strong one, even if it became controversial, and it was the one that started it all.
Last season, when the Connecticut Sun went too far with their physicality on Caitlin Clark, Cunningham defended her teammate and took down Jacey Sheldon with a flagrant foul that resulted in an ejection and suspension. It was wrong to take matters into her own hands. But it was the right message to send to the opponent.
Instead of getting vilified, Sophie became a cult figure. In fact, that’s where her popularity started to explode. That’s some kind of charisma.
“You need a relationship with Caitlin Clark and enough of the other players in the ‘W’ to matter. You need someone the media can love to hate and hate to love. You need someone whose star rivals the mouthy, angry feminists who dominate the league. You need someone strong enough to stand for the National Anthem,” he added.
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Related: “One of us forgot our t—ts at home” – Sophie Cunningham’s reaction after posing for a photo with Sydney Sweeney
Cunningham puts her hand over her chest during the playing of the national anthem
The national anthem is one of the more interesting parts of the WNBA. According to league rules, players, coaches, and other team members on the bench must stand in a dignified posture along the sideline or the free throw line during the national anthem.
The rule says nothing about putting one’s hand on the chest, so it’s a common and accepted practice for players to put their hands behind their backs. Sophie is one of the few who does the hand-over-heart gesture. Whitlock also said she is the only one who can be friends with Clark, but call a spade a spade.
“Sophie already has what Cathy never built: she’s Clark’s teammate. She lives in the gravitational pull every executive is terrified to touch, and she still calls balls and strikes. She loves Caitlin Clark. She also had the spine to champion Kelsey Mitchell as MVP of this Indiana Fever season. A commissioner who can ride for Clark and still make Mitchell’s case for being MVP, now that’s a winner,” Whitlock continued.
What Whitlock outlined are just ordinary actions, and not examples of how good a decision-maker or policymaker Cunningham can be. However, those are the qualities a good commissioner needs to govern a league like the “W.”
Cunningham recently revealed that she and Silver have already spoken several times. Maybe it’s not about asking her to be the next WNBA commissioner. Again, it’s crazy, but the next WNBA commissioner should have Sophie’s attributes and personality. Maybe it should be her, as Jason said. And it’s no joke.
Related: “There is an extra good feeling about everyone hating you” – Sophie Cunningham admits she loves getting booed on the road
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 10:34 PM.