1st Member of Mizzou Hall of Fame 2025 Class Announced

Missouri women's basketball legend cements her legacy in school history.

Mar 8, 2019; Greenville, SC, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Sophie Cunningham (3) celebrates with teammates Lauren Aldridge (5) and Jordan Roundtree (22) during the first half of game eight against the Kentucky Wildcats in the women's SEC Conference Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-Imagn Images | Joshua S. Kelly-Imagn Images

Mizzou Athletics announced Missouri Tigers' women's basketball alum Sophie Cunningham as the first inductee of the Mizzou Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Athletics director Laird Veatch and new women's basketball head coach delivered the news to Cunningham in a virtual call, posted by Mizzou Athletics Monday morning.

We surprised each of our new 2025 Hall of Famers and captured some special moments to share.

First up, the @MizzouWBB local legend, @sophaller in her first year of HOF eligibility!

Sophie Cunningham, you’re a Mizzou Hall of Famer! #MIZ🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/vVt3ZC9a5o

— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) April 21, 2025

"It's just a new era for women's basketball, and then this happened," Cunningham said in the video. "I'm grateful."

Cunningham was critical in the hiring process of new Missouri women's basketball head coach Kellie Harper, who returned the favor by breaking the Hall of Fame news to Cunningham.

"You're a winner," Harper told Cunningham. "What you've meant to this program, this community, you are so well deserving of this honor.

This was the Columbia native's first year of eligibility for the class, getting in on the first ballot. She finished her four-season career at Missouri as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,187 points. She made the AP First Team All-SEC team in 2017, 2018 and 2019, along with making the 2019 USBWA All-America Third Team.

Cunningham led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons, advancing to the second round in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Missouri eclipsed at least 20 wins in each year of her career, marking the program's most successful regular season stint since 1987.

Cunningham is now entering her seventh season in the WNBA, the longest WNBA tenure by a Missouri women's basketball alum. She'll be playing alongside former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark as a member of the Indiana Fever, the second team of her professional career.