Photo: Lorie Shaull, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has weighed in on the search for the WNBA’s next commissioner, saying the league needs a leader who can bring its diverse community together. Her comments come as the league’s hiring process gets underway following commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s exit, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver overseeing the search.
‘You need someone who is going to unite everybody’
“You need someone who is going to unite everybody, because it can be so different,” Cunningham said, according to reporting picked up by Yahoo Sports and the Washington Times. She also pointed to communication with players as a priority: “If you have that open line of communication, that respect level, I think that it just feels different.”
Cunningham said the WNBA “has always been a place for people to feel safe and comfortable,” and argued that keeping it that way across a league with a wide range of perspectives takes deliberate leadership. She stopped short of endorsing a specific candidate for the job.
It isn’t the first time she has floated ideas for the role. Cunningham has previously suggested on her own podcast that she’d push for facility improvements and higher player compensation if she were in the position herself.
A strong season for the Fever
Cunningham’s comments come during a good year for Indiana. The Fever finished the regular season 26-14 and clinched a playoff berth.
Records and standings can change as the postseason continues; this reflects the team’s status as of this writing.