Cunningham reveals talks with Silver on WNBA commissioner — SkimNews
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- Sophie Cunningham said NBA commissioner Adam Silver reached out to her multiple times to discuss the upcoming WNBA commissioner search during the FIBA World Cup break, calling him "knowledgeable and full of wisdom."
- Cathy Engelbert announced her retirement as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year, with Silver involved in identifying her successor.
- Cunningham outlined what she wants in a replacement: a "players-first" leader with open communication who can unify a diverse league — and separately suggested the WNBA examine eliminating back-to-back games, noting back-to-backs factor into higher salaries.
- Cunningham has emerged as a polarizing player this season for her stance on transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports, drawing fan confrontations at games despite not backing down.
- Engelbert's tenure produced a new richer television contract, a new collective bargaining agreement, and added charter flights for teams, per the article.
- The Indiana Fever await Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and coach Stephanie White's return from the U.S. gold-medal-winning team in Berlin; the Fever resume play Friday at Toronto.
Why it matters: The player most publicly associated with a divisive social stance in the WNBA is now advising the league's most consequential hire. With Engelbert exiting and Silver personally consulting players, the candidates must satisfy Cunningham's call for a "players-first unifier" while navigating her transgender-athlete position — all while inheriting a league whose boom since the 2024 Caitlin Clark draft has raised the stakes of every decision.
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