Sophie Cunningham’s Subtle Comment Sparks Fever Return Speculation
While just about every WNBA veteran will become available once the league's free agency period begins, most Indiana Fever fans would say that their team's priority should be bringing two 2025 Fever players back.
The first one is Kelsey Mitchell, who has been with the franchise since 2018 and is one of the most talented guards in the league. Mitchell's on-court chemistry with point guard Caitlin Clark makes them arguably the best backcourt duo in the WNBA, and Indiana's front office understands this. This is why most feel like the team will do whatever it takes to bring Mitchell back.
Sophie Cunningham is the other 2025 Fever player that fans surely want back. While Cunningham was only with the team for one season after being traded from the Phoenix Mercury, she quickly endeared herself to the team's fan base because of her gritty and blue-collar play style, her willingness to defend Clark by any means necessary, her infectious smile, and her charismatic personality.
Not to mention that she quickly became friends with Clark and appears to be a key component to the Fever's locker room chemistry, which helped them advance to the WNBA Semifinals.
Cunningham has conveyed several times that she would love to return to the Fever. However, she has also made it clear that she doesn't know what will happen in free agency, and she will ultimately make the decision that's right for her, regardless of whether that decision leads her back to Indiana.
Sophie Cunningham's podcast remark gets Fever fans talking
Cunningham hosts a podcast called Show Me Something. Meredith Marks of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City fame was the guest on a December 22 episode, and spoke about how she has recently become a WNBA fan after attending a Las Vegas Aces game this past season.
"We need to get you to a Fever game. Because they're just like, so different, and so much more fun compared to all these other games," Cunningham then said to Marks.
Her saying this has caught the attention of Fever fans, who are using Cunningham's enthusiasm as proof that she is keen to return to Indianapolis.
Fever fans, listen to this short by Sophie and two others and let me know if you hear what I heard.https://t.co/qJkjVG5yRN
— ✨Annika 🌊 🇺🇸 🇸🇪 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 (@Phlob) January 1, 2026
Cunningham is right in asserting that there seems to be a different energy at Fever games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena when compared to the rest of the league. And the fact that she can feel it from the court would serve as further proof about why she might prefer to return in free agency.
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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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