Sophie Cunningham Made Foolish Mistake by Mocking A’ja Wilson

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham should regret her video poking fun at A'ja Wilson, given how it aged.

Sophie Cunningham warms up prior to the start of the game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream. | IMAGO/Icon Sportswire

Before the winner-take-all Game 3 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham decided to post a TikTok video poking fun at A'ja Wilson.

In the video, Cunningham was holding a coffee and said, "Not trying to be dramatic at all. Like, seriously. I was just here having my morning coffee, and what a damn comeback year for the point! Who would have ever thought—just who would have ever thought?"

Sophie Cunningham making fun of A’ja Wilson on TikTok 😭 pic.twitter.com/Q7XoCGmK5w

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) September 30, 2026

This was a reference to Wilson getting a technical foul after confronting a Fever fan who was pointing at her during Game 2 on Tuesday.

Cunningham is not known to keep her opinions to herself. However, her inability to do this time around might have cost the Fever.

Wilson scored 36 points and tallied 10 rebounds in Game 3 against the Fever on Thursday night. Las Vegas won 94-83, advancing them to the WNBA semifinals and ending Indiana's 2026 season. Cunningham scored five points.

Now, it's impossible to claim a direct correlation between Cunningham mocking Wilson and Wilson's performance. After all, A'ja scored 37 points in Game 1 without being provoked.

But Cunningham's video definitely didn't help matters.

What was the point of Cunningham trying to give Wilson added motivation to produce an inspired Game 3 performance? Going viral one more time before the season ended?

Wilson is the league's best player and already the greatest women's basketball player of all time. Cunningham giving her more fuel and making this matchup more personal than it needed to be was a high-risk, low upside decision that might have contributed to the Fever's season ending earlier than anyone had hoped.

Fever Face Sophie Cunningham Decision Before Next Season

Cunningham is a free agent this offseason. Indiana will need to decide whether her on-court production is more valuable than the headlines (and potential headaches) she produces off the court.

This most recent example with Wilson will not serve her well in that regard. Still, Sophie had her moments this season and is a valuable role player. But sometimes it feels like she cares more about being the storyline than being a quiet yet impactful contributor.

This has endeared her to Fever fans, given that she has an undoubtedly entertaining and charismatic personality. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is that Cunningham is contributing to winning.

That's the question Indiana must answer when deciding whether to re-sign her.