Sophie Cunningham spent her first six seasons in the WNBA on the Phoenix Mercury, where she played with Diana Taurasi, widely considered to be the greatest women’s basketball player of all-time. The sharpshooting legend played her final game this past September before officially retiring in February. This marked the end of an era in Phoenix that also included star center Brittney Griner leaving to sign with the Dream and Cunningham being traded to the Fever.
Now Cunningham gets to play with the heir apparent to Taurasi’s throne, Caitlin Clark. Though she hasn’t gotten as much time on the court with Clark as she or Fever fans would like due to Clark’s injury-plagued season, Cunningham has already seen enough to know what a special player her new teammate is.
Before the Fever played the Sun last night, Cunningham took care to say that in her opinion, Taurasi is the best to ever do it, but she sees a lot of similarities between her and Clark.
“DT will always be my GOAT,” she said. “I’ve never met someone who thinks the game how she thinks, the way that she was a pro in doing her weights, her rehab. The way she trained in the offseason when she was towards the end of her career when she wasn’t going overseas. I just have never seen anything like that.”
“The way that Caitlin thinks of the game, that’s a really close second,” she continued. “They’re always 10 plays ahead of everyone, they’re always on a whole different wavelength.”
“They’re always 10 plays ahead of everyone. They’re always on a different wavelength.”
Sophie Cunningham on the similarities in Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark’s approach ️
(via @HaydenCilley) pic.twitter.com/vTbnpFG56R
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 8, 2025
Cunningham has taken it upon herself to be Clark’s unofficial enforcer, as seen when she got ejected back in June for tackling the Sun’s Jacy Sheldon on a fourth-quarter fast break. Sheldon had poked Clark in the eye earlier in the game, inciting a brawl that saw Clark get shoved to the ground by Marina Mabrey.
With their unlimited shooting range and status as the face of the WNBA, Taurasi and Clark definitely share some things in common. This has been a trying season for Clark, though. Her shooting numbers have fallen precipitously, and she’s only been able to suit up 13 times.
Still, the Fever have managed to get by without her, as their 17-14 record is currently the fifth-best team in the WNBA, even after last night’s 95-60 beating at the hands of the Mercury. There’s still no timetable for Clark’s return, but the Fever will need her if they hope to improve on last year’s one-and-done postseason showing.
