Sophie Cunningham's Confession About 'Getting Baby Fever' Raises Eyebrows

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham made a fascinating reveal on a recent podcast.
Aug 17, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) warms up before the start of the game against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Aug 17, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) warms up before the start of the game against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Women's athletes face challenges that are more significant than those of their male counterparts in numerous ways. One of the most obvious ones is that their bodies are responsible for gestation, which is a fancy way of saying it's their job to carry their child in their womb during pregnancy.

While an expecting father's athletic life isn't impacted by the pregnancy process, this couldn't be any more different for an expecting mother. And when it comes to professional athletes, they have to put their entire careers on hold for the nine or so months it takes for their child to be born, not to mention everything that comes during and after giving birth.

For women's basketball players, getting pregnant often means a player will miss most of a (if not an entire) season. A recent example of this is Las Vegas Aces standout Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who announced she was pregnant during the last WNBA offseason. Although Parker-Tyus is extraordinary because she ultimately made her 2025 season debut on September 9, just 70 days after giving birth, and is now competing in the WNBA Finals.

Las Vegas Aces forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (32) celebrates after a 3 pointer on September 11, 2025
Sep 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (32) celebrates after a 3 pointer during the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Other WNBA stars who have missed with because of pregnancy in the past are Dearica Hamby (who was traded from the Aces to the Sparks shortly after getting pregnant in 2022, which sparked a lawsuit), Skylar Diggins (who missed the 2019 and 2023 seasons because of her having two kids), and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who only played four games in 2022 because she had a kid.

All of this is to say that women's basketball players have a lot of things they must weigh when deciding if, and when, they want to get pregnant.

Sophie Cunningham Makes "Baby Fever" Comment

The prospect of pregnancy seems to be on Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham's mind, as she spoke about it directly during an October 7 episode of her Show Me Something podcast.

After Cunningham was asked whether she's going to be on aunt duty this offseason (because her sister just had a child), she responded by saying, "Dude, I've been on aunt duty. And it's been so fun.

"I'm getting baby fever, so the world needs to watch out," Cunningham then added with a laugh.

After her co-host was incredulous at this statement, she kept laughing and added, "I think [being on aunt duty] is also really great birth control, cause like," before trailing off.

While it's probably wise not to read too much into what she said, Cunningham's "baby fever" confession is sure to spark some interest from fans.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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