Sophie Cunningham Explains Why She Didn't Watch USA vs France World Cup Final

Sophie Cunningham had a lot going on when Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston were competing in the FIBA World Cup final.

Sophie Cunningham looks on during an Indiana Fever game. | IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Indiana Fever star guard Sophie Cunningham has about as much going on off the court as any other player in women's basketball.

One of these duties is serving as a USA Network sports studio analyst on select broadcasts. Cunningham was working in this role during the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday, which included her hanging out in World Wide Technology's Raceway fan zone and even shaking hands with the legendary Michael Jordan.

Sophie Cunningham saying what's up to Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon before the green flag today pic.twitter.com/vRMscBa4Zr

— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) September 13, 2026

Unfortunately for Cunningham, this conflicted with another sports event that had a special significance for two of her Fever teammates: the FIBA World Cup gold medal match between the USA and France.

Cunningham spoke to the media on Monday and was asked whether she watched those aforementioned two teammates, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, competing against France on Sunday.

"No. I was busy," Cunningham said with a smile when asked whether she watched Clark and Boston play against France, per a YouTube video from the Fever.

When told that those two "got it done" against France, Cunningham responded by saying, "Good! Congrats."

One can't blame Cunningham for being too busy to watch the final, as it took place at the exact same time as the NASCAR event she was working.

But one would imagine that she was tuned in to see how her Fever teammates were faring on Team USA throughout the tournament, and would wish them genuine congratulations once they return to the Fever's facilities in the coming days.

What the Fever's Final Push for the Postseason Will Look Like

Indiana has a 26-14 record right now, which ties them with the Atlanta Dream for the No. 4 spot in the league standings with four regular season games left to play.

On the surface, Indiana's final four games might look difficult. They face the Toronto Tempo on the road on Friday, then play the Washington Mystics at home on Sunday, and then have two games, one at home and one on the road, against the Minnesota Lynx.

Minnesota will almost certainly have the WNBA's No. 1 seed locked down by those games against the Fever. Therefore, they might decide to rest their key players, which would provide a huge advantage for Indiana.

Clark, Boston, and Cunningham will all be key if Indiana is to finish this four-game stretch strong. And they'll want to, in hopes of securing home-court advantage against the Dream in the first round.