Sophie Cunningham Checks SI Swimsuit Appearance Off Her 'Bucket List'
Indiana Fever wing Sophie Cunningham's tenure with the team has been a massive success in more ways than one.
This was shown on the court during the 2025 season, as Cunningham was a key part of the Fever's campaign that brought them within one game of the WNBA Finals. While Cunningham had to miss the final few months of the season with a knee injury, she made an impact before that with her blue-collar defense and tenacious attitude.
She also quickly endeared herself to Fever fans. Not only was she excited to become part of the Indianapolis community and endearing whenever she spoke about her new team, but the way she defended Caitlin Clark during a Fever game against the Connecticut Sun last June turned her into the enforcer that Clark has sorely needed to that point in her WNBA career.
Cunningham was a free agent this past offseason before ultimately returning to the Fever on a one-year deal, clearly keen on making another deep run.
But what's perhaps most impressive about Cunningham is how she has leveraged playing for the Fever (alongside Caitlin Clark) into a new level of stardom. Her social media following has grown exponentially, she has started her own podcast, and new off-court opportunities are coming to her.
Sophie Cunningham Speaks on 'Empowering' SI Swimsuit Inclusion
One example of this is that Cunningham was included in the 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue.
The 29-year-old from Missouri has posted photos from this shoot (which took place on a beach in Captiva Island, off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida) to her Instagram page, which has gotten a lot of positive attention.
And becoming a part of this iconic magazine issue clearly means a lot to Cunningham, which she conveyed with a comment in a May 12 article from Sports Illustrated's Stephen Douglas.
“It was so empowering and just so fun but being able to check that off my list. That has been a huge bucket list goal and now I just feel so good about myself," Cunningham said.
It will be cool to see what else Cunningham can do when it comes to opportunities to expand her personal brand during her time with the Fever. That being said, one would imagine that another "bucket list goal" for her would be winning a WNBA championship, which has eluded her to this point in her professional career.
The Fever are hoping that will change in 2026.
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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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