Sophie Cunningham Calls Out Stephanie White's Style of Coaching

Cunningham feels as if the Fever don't actually read defenses while on offense.

Sep 27, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts after scoring against the Las Vegas Aces during the first quarter of game one of the first round for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If there's one thing Sophie Cunningham isn't afraid to do, it's speak her mind. The soon-to-be Indiana Fever free agent appeared in every game except for one this past season after an MCL tear in 2025. Cunningham shot 42% from beyond the arc and averaged 7.9 points per game, the most of any Fever bench player.

Cunningham became one of the most recognizable players in the WNBA after being traded to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season. Her popularity skyrocketed after a squabble with then-Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon. Playing alongside superstar Caitlin Clark helped Cunningham's status rise, as the Fever are basically under a microscope by the media and fans alike.

Jul 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (left) with guard Sophie Cunningham against the Phoenix Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of Cunningham's off-court ventures is her No Hesitation podcast that she hosts with NBA/WNBA trainer Drew Hanlen. Recently she spoke out about the Fever not allowing players to take what the defense gave them and play off of it. It sounds as if Cunningham's saying Stephanie White didn't let them play freely, which is odd since Clark is better when she's not bogged down by coaching.

Sophie Cunningham wasn't fan of Stephanie White's coaching style with Fever

As someone who has called out this issue with Stephanie White all season long, I’m glad Sophie Cunningham is saying the same thing. IMHO they brought one of the most rigid coaches to coach Caitlin Clark, who is the best free-flowing point guard ever 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/T8qJ9osalz

— X coach anderson X (@coachandere6xa) November 14, 2026

"That's what I made my career on in Mizzou was making reads," Cunningham said. "I think I'm really good at making the right read. I'm saying overall as a team perspective, I don't think we were good as a team of just allowing people to make the read and then playing off of that."

Hanlen echoed her sentiment by basically saying the Fever told players "this is the play, run it," instead of taking what the defense gave them. It's an interesting perspective, as least from the college standpoint that Cunningham mentioned.

It directly contradicted what Clark said on the Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce podcast earlier this month about not having plays in college.

Caitlin Clark explains what made those Iowa teams so special pic.twitter.com/d4RSppLuEy

— Courtside Club (@CourtsideClub_) November 4, 2026

"In college, we didn't run plays," Clark said. "We kind of just played off of each other and we cut and we screened. It's not like something you can prepare for in a way, because you don't know what we're going to do. On top of that, I kind of just did whatever and it would usually work out pretty well."

It sounds like Clark was allowed to play freely at Iowa and was basically just out there trying stuff to see if it would work. Maybe it was different for Cunningham at Missouri, but it's interesting to see how their experiences differed in college.