Sophie Cunningham's Fever Preseason 'Dubs' Flex Is Deserved
The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty by a score of 109-91 in their first WNBA preseason contest on April 25.
While it's always good to earn a win, getting that victory in the preseason isn't significant because it doesn't count toward the standings. Instead, these games act as more of a way for coaches to see what the team needs to work on heading into the season, along with a means to assess where players are in their own progress.
Perhaps no Fever player had more question marks coming into the 2026 season than Sophie Cunningham. She went viral last week for speaking about her contract situation (she didn't get the long-term deal she had hoped for), which she blamed on not being able to showcase herself this offseason after suffering a season-ending knee injury last August.
Therefore, Cunningham showed up to training camp with something to prove. And she got off to a great start on Saturday, scoring 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field (and 3 of 6 from three-point range) plus 2 steals in 14 minutes played.
But those who know Cunningham's game understand that her complete impact can't be quantified in box scores. And she proved this once again against New York through stubborn and gritty defense, solid screens for Caitlin Clark, and the same level of intensity and physicality that immediately endeared her to Fever fans last year.
Sophie Cunningham was out there tackling and blocking for Caitlin Clark to be free. 🥰😬👏👏 pic.twitter.com/u9vbqjddVH
— CCFC-New season (@sohali2012) April 26, 2026
Sophie Cunningham Celebrates Fever Preseason Win With Social Media Post
It isn't just what Cunningham does on the court that Fever fans adore. They also love her personality and charm off the court, which is often conveyed through social media.
Another example of this arrived after Saturday's win, as Cunningham posted a TikTok video that showed her lip-syncing to "Here for the Party" by Gretchen Wilson in her hotel room. The in-text caption was, "and that's on nine months of knee rehab! GAME DAY," as she flexes and points to her previously injured knee at the video's end.
The post is captioned, "dubs in the chat" referencing the Fever's win.
Saturday's game would have been worth celebrating for Cunningham regardless of the outcome or her individual performance, given how long it had been since she was competing. But the fact that Indiana got a victory and she played great makes it even more celebration-worthy.
Now the hope is that Cunningham can provide similar value when the games begin to count in the standings.
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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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