Sophie Cunningham's Raven Johnson Endorsement Carries Weight for Fever
The Indiana Fever's selection of Raven Johnson out of South Carolina with the No. 10 pick in the WNBA Draft has generated a lot of conversation. Much of that stems from Johnson’s past matchups with Caitlin Clark, when Clark was still in college at Iowa.
But despite any discourse, it seems Johnson is acclimating to the Fever quickly, and she recently cited Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, and Sophie Cunningham for helping her learn the ropes.
Raven Johnson’s first fever practice media interview. Nice job rookie 😊 pic.twitter.com/PDswZRk8wM
— ericaf455 (@ericaf455) April 20, 2026
And Johnson clearly has a fan in Cunningham. Cunningham spoke about the addition of Johnson to the team on her Show Me Something podcast, and gave a glowing review.
"Raven Johnson is a fricking dawg," Cunningham said about the Fever rookie.
"We had our first day of training camp and I just like love her. I think she's going to be fantastic, great defensive player. Just a really sweet girl and a great teammate so far," she continued.
The "dawg" aspect of the comment stands out coming from Cunningham, because that is a term that has been used by many to describe her, including by Fever coach Stephanie White.
"Oh my god, Sophie's a dawg. She's a competitor," White said about Cunningham after her preseason debut with Indiana last year.
The saying goes, takes one to know one, so those traits being identified in Johnson carry weight—considering the source.
Raven Johnson Receives Rave Reviews from Fever Camp
It's not just Cunningham heaping praise on Johnson. Though she did take her comments a step further during training camp.
"I've absolutely loved playing with her. Her vibe, her chemistry that we've created so far has been pretty elite," Cunningham said.
Coach White singled out what Johnson brings on defense.
"She's a bear on the defensive end of the floor."
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 21, 2026
head coach Stephanie White on rookie Raven Johnson 😤 pic.twitter.com/uuub9FxUCL
"She's a bear on the defensive end of the floor. She's got great, active hands," White said before stating how Johnson's length is an asset and emphasizing the rookie guard's communication level and desire to learn.
The Fever won't be overly reliant on Johnson due to the team's top-end talent, including Clark and Mitchell in the backcourt. But if she is indeed able to carry over her perimeter defensive acumen from her time with the Gamecocks to the pros, that could be another tool at White's disposal, as that would give the team another option in dealing with opposing attacking guards and wings.
Johnson appears eager to fit in and is fast-tracked to go from one winning environment to another—complete with a ringing endorsement from Cunningham.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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