After a rollercoaster of a season, the Indiana Fever should do nothing besides hold their head high for what they were able to accomplish. The Fever dealt with multiple stars such as Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and others missing time with injury. Regardless, they found themselves one game away from the 2025 WNBA Finals. This should be enough to celebrate ahead of the 2026 season, but Cunningham’s recent words have brought about a dark reality.
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Cunningham has never been an All-Star-level player throughout her WNBA career. However, she has thrived as one of the best role players in the league. When the Fever traded for her before the start of the 2025 season, they certainly expected good production. They couldn’t have imagined how large she would become amongst the fans.
The 6-foot-1 guard quickly became the team’s enforcer. Her protection of Clark earned her respect among the Fever’s fan base. That level of heart and energy resonated throughout the rest of the team. Even while she was on the sidelines cheering during the team’s Cinderella-like postseason run.
Out of all the seasons Cunningham has experienced in her career, none could compare to this last with the Fever.
“I’m just grateful,” Cunningham said on the Show Me Something podcast. “This season has been so fun and so amazing in more ways than I can describe.”
“One, our locker room, like number one, is what I’m getting at, is our locker room was so close-knit and so fun and just full of love that like, I’ve never been part of a locker room like that ever. And it was awesome,” Sophie said. At the same time, she listed out the horrors that the team went through.
“This was a season from hell, too, because of the injury bug. But through it all, I’m grateful. I think the relationships, um, and the memories that this team created is going to be one for a lifetime. Like people don’t even go through the amount of adversity and everything that happened to us in a career, let alone one season.”
Indiana’s camaraderie and bond are second to none and will remain a deep sisterhood for the rest of Cunningham’s life. Unfortunately, the real world isn’t a fairy tale. Plenty of external factors can cause good things to come to an end. Money is one of the main culprits.
The WNBA is currently on pace to enter a lockout due to a stalemate in CBA negotiations. Cunningham is aware of this reality and the implications it can have, not just on the team, but as a player.
“If we can get this new CBA worked out, who knows? Like, no one’s under contract. This could be my last time in an Indiana Fever jersey,” Cunningham said.
That would be an outcome that neither the fans nor management would want to see happen. Cunningham isn’t under contract with the Fever anymore. She was on a one-year deal worth $100,000. As much as Indiana feels like home, she will have to make a decision that is best for her. That could mean playing elsewhere.
Cunningham doesn’t promise that things may get ugly, but states that it’s a clear possibility. Only time will tell whether Cunningham returns as a Fever or begins a new chapter in her WNBA career.
