Sophie Cunningham Finds Success with Fever Role Shift
After starting the first three games of the season, Sophie Cunningham played off the bench for the Fever in their 89-78 win over the Seattle Storm.
The Fever standout found success amid the shift, tallying 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. It was her best performance of the season. And despite moving to the second unit, she still played a solid 25 minutes.
In the Fever's 2-2 start, Cunningham is averaging 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 52 percent shooting, which is encouraging to see after her 2025 campaign was cut short due to injury. The seven-year veteran has been very up-front about taking on whatever role helps the team.
"I think that that's the beauty of our team that you have a lot of people who are so versatile and you have some lineup changes, and I think it went good, but we just got to find a rhythm. I think offensively that will definitely come because we just have such threats out on the court," Cunningham said after the game.
"I think that they can put me at any position, but they can also put Lex [Lexie Hull], they can put My [Myisha Hines-Allen], they can put a lot of our players, and I think that's a hard guard for anyone," she added.
Sophie Cunningham Brings Selfless Trait to Fever Lineup
All of the hype surrounding Cunningham, specifically since she stood up for Caitlin Clark last season, has made her one of the most popular players in the WNBA, particularly amongst the Fever fan base.
It's not just the welcoming personality she gives fans across the league, but it's the type of player and teammate she is within the Fever organization. Cunningham brings feistiness and deep-shooting ability to the court every time she touches the floor.
However, she saw her starting role duties change just four games into the season, and although this may not be surprising given Hull's return from injury, she took it in stride.
During the Fever's postgame radio show, Cunningham touched briefly on her and Hull trading places throughout the game and how it impacts the team.
"I just think that they're just trying to find rotations and keep the energy alive. And so, Lex and I know that, we're both pros. She's going to do her thing and I'm going to do mine. I'm proud of her. I think we both had solid games today and that's what it's going to take for us to get wins," she said.
After yesterday’s #Fever win, Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) joined us on the postgame show across the Old National Bank @IndianaFever Radio Network 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/53XwtdZby8
— Mick Tidrow (@MickTidrow) May 18, 2026
It certainly benefits the Fever to have the two versatile players on the wing, given they can be interchangeable at times. But Cunningham specifically made the most of her minutes Sunday, showing she is ready for the role off the bench.
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Lindsay Burke covers women’s basketball for Indiana Fever On SI and Women’s Fastbreak On SI. She graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and a minor in media production. Early in her career she covered ECHL hockey, the NFL and college football and has since expanded her expertise to the WNBA and the Fever franchise.
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