The WNBA wasted little time in announcing the 2026 season schedule, but it didn’t put much effort into aligning the CBA terms with the players’ demands. After over a year with three extensions, the situation has yet to move to any positive progress. Sophie Cunningham even raised a question over the possibility of the 2026 season only.
And now, after the failure of the ‘all-important’ meeting on February 2, she is even more frustrated and mentioned that she wishes to be the WNBA Commissioner one day.
Sophie Cunningham Wants To Be WNBA Commissioner
The former Missouri star already criticized the league commissioner for disrespecting Caitlin Clark and also for the slow progress in the CBA discussions. In the recent episode of her ‘Show Me Something’ podcast, she mentioned that Engelbert is self-obsessed and expressed a desire to replace Engelbert as commissioner
“So here’s my thing. And I think maybe I’m speaking this into existence, people are probably gonna make fun of me, but I have seen the league when it hasn’t had this [CBA frustration], and I’m in the process of seeing where this thing could be. And I think that I truly do, I’m learning the business, I’m learning the sport. I think that one day, it would be so fun to be the commissioner,” the Fever star said on the podcast.
She added that though the job is tough, her collaborative nature would help her complete the tasks easily. Emphasizing the negotiations, she pointed out that the commissioner doesn’t have to agree on everything, but the refusal should also add flavour of care for others.
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While the star did not highlight any one aspect of Engelbert that is bothering her, she added that the current commissioner’s passive nature is hurting the league.
Sophie Cunningham Slams Cathy Engelbert On One Particular Aspect
Throughout the CBA negotiation, one person who faced heavy criticism was the WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. With early delays, ESPN Analyst Chiney Ogwumike gave Engelbert a reality check on avoiding tough conversations with players. While her communication gap became a real issue in the process, the Fever forward added that the 60-year-old doesn’t even show any encouraging intentions.
In the podcast, she said, “Any time you are in a position of leadership, yes, but just like to influence and empower other people, for some reason our league doesn’t do that. Everyone wants to be star. Our commissioner right now, even though we are not agreeing on negotiations, she could still g on other social media platforms a be like ‘hey I believe in our product, I love our product.’”
.@sophaller gives her perspective on where WNBA-CBA negotiations are at pic.twitter.com/iHaT3uLuzg
— Show Me Something (@ShowMe_Pod) February 3, 2026
She explained that such small steps give a different feel than not saying anything. Maybe the forward might have to learn some management and commercial aspects of the position, as she has completely mastered the human aspect of the role.