Sophie Cunningham joined the Fever as part of a free agency deal that also saw NaLyssa Smith heading to Dallas and Satou Sabally joining the Mercury. Cunningham, who had previously expressed a lot of interest in playing with Caitlin Clark in Indianapolis, will prove to be an invaluable asset to the team for at least one key reason.
When it comes to bench players in the WNBA, there are a few that stand out above the rest: Marine Johannes, who may or may not return to the league this year, Elizabeth Williams, and Cunningham. And according to podcaster Mick Hoops, Cunningham has "the potential" to become the best of them all.
Cunningham brings a strong suit of defensive skills to the Fever, something that will only help the team thrive this season. While she doesn't have the strongest set of stats, she does have consistency — a trait that should never be undervalued on (or off) the court.
Sophie Cunningham has a history of supporting Caitlin Clark
In February Cunningham admitted she had hoped to recruit Clark to her former team, the Phoenix Mercury. "I totally was," she told Jillian Carroll Letrinko. She later added, "I told the people upstairs that I will be her Sabrina Carpenter any day to her Taylor Swift. Like, I am so excited for this. Honestly, she's just a great human too... and she passes the ball, which I enjoy."
In an October 2024 interview on The Travis Hearn Podcast, Cunningham also had nothing but praise for Clark. "She's handling the pressure very well. She has done a lot of great things for women's basketball and I'm a fan. I would love to play with her one day, for real," she said.
And last July Cunningham also rejected the idea that veterans in the league were somehow anti-Clark. "The narrative that we're all against Caitlin, or the vets against the rookies-- that needs to be squashed because it's not like that. I promise you, it's not like that," she told SLAM magazine.
One thing is clear: Cunningham is excited to get into the gym with Clark and the rest of the Fever, and that energy will only make the team that much more fun to watch this season. As much as the newest members of the Fever are bringing their own style of play, they're also bringing their off-the-court energy, too — and though Cunningham is a divisive character for many due to her political beliefs when it comes to Caitlin Clark, she's all in.