Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham Holds Back Tears After Earning Hall of Fame Honors

Sophie Cunningham was overwhelmed after being named to Missouri's Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.

Missouri guard Sophie Cunningham (3) celebrates with teammates Lauren Aldridge, left, and Haley Troup (11) during a NCAA women's basketball tournament first-round game, Friday, March 22, 2019, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Syndication Desmoines | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the Indiana Fever’s freshest faces is now officially a Hall of Famer. Sophie Cunningham was named to the 2025 Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame on Monday, earning the prestigious honor in her very first year of eligibility. Given her standout career with the Tigers, it’s easy to see why.

Cunningham said she was holding back emotions when Tigers coach Kellie Harper broke the news to her in a virtual meeting with Mizzou athletic director Laird Veatch, saying, “I just am kind of a loss of words. Gonna hold back some tears a little bit."

“The fact that it’s a new era for women's basketball and then this happened, you know I’m grateful. I’m very blessed," she continued.

I think I cried a little 💛 truly honored and full of gratitude and love for @Mizzou ! We had a hell of a team and A TIME WAS HAD during those years but nothing beats the memories and relationships those four years gave. We had COMO poppin and all I can do now is smile! https://t.co/2053qdVHF6

— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) April 21, 2025

In delivering the news Harper sang Cunningham’s praises. “You're a winner. And what you’ve meant to this program, this community, you are so well-deserving of this honor.”

During her time at Mizzou, Cunningham led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament every season and became the program’s all-time leading scorer, racking up an impressive 2,187 career points. Her years on the roster also marked the program’s most successful stretch since 1987, etching her as one of the more impactful players in the school's history. 

Congrats @sophaller! https://t.co/ibZz3cOgZZ

— Amber Cox (@AmberLCox) April 21, 2025

As one of the new kids on the block for the Fever, Cunningham will be using that same firepower from college to drain threes alongside her Indiana teammate Caitlin Clark. And you can bet a strong Missouri contingent will be cheering her on every step of the way.