The Indiana Fever made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016 in large part because of superstar rookie Caitlin Clark. This offseason, a new head coach and the addition of several key players have increased the odds of success in Indiana.
Sophie Cunningham, one of those additions, believes the Fever are prime for a run at the WNBA championship.
The 28-year-old guard was acquired by the Fever from the Phoenix Suns in February as part of a four-team trade that included the additions of Jaelyn Brown from the Dallas Wings and the No. 19 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
“I’m excited. I think this is a new era for myself,” Cunningham told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “I got to learn a lot, learn how to become a pro. And now I get to go to Indiana to play with some of the best players around the world right now.”
On the list is new teammate Caitlin Clark, who took her pro career by storm.
“We’ve talked quite a bit in the past couple of months since I’ve gotten traded and she’s just a good human,” Cunningham said of Clark. “I think she has humor to her, she has wit to her. Everyone that I’ve talked to said that she’s a great teammate. She just wants to win, right?”
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Cunningham told Fox News Digital that she believes Indiana’s “style of play” is something she thrives in. She said she believes that if the chemistry on the court is there, this team stands a good chance at winning a championship.
“I’m just excited for [Clark’s] competitiveness. I’m excited for everything she brings to the table. But again, I’m excited for everyone, right? You have Kelsey Mitchell, who’s been a vet, too, who has been there for years, who is a heck of a player as well. And so for me, just to kind of be a part of something for the first time – a new team for the first time in six years – I just think it’s a fresh wind. It’s what I needed. It’s re-motivated, it’s refocused my energy. And again, like at the end of the day, I just want to win. I want championships and I think this is the right team for it.”
Cunningham, 28, was drafted by Phoenix in the second round of the 2019 WNBA Draft and has become one of the league’s most popular players. She’s appeared in 182 games, averaging 7.7 points per game, 2.7 total rebounds and 1.4 assists.
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Her best season was in 2022, when she averaged 12.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
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Cunningham spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of her partnership with Quest Nutrition during the women’s NCAA Tournament. The former University of Missouri star, who made second round appearances in each of her four seasons with the Tigers, praised the newfound attention the women’s tournament has received over the years.
“It’s huge. And I think, you know, the talent and the feistiness, the competitiveness has always been there. Now it’s just on TV where people are able to witness it and fall in love with our game and fall in love with the players,” she said. “I was a part of the NCAA tournament for four years. Now I get to be a fan behind a bar supporting it with Quest.”
Over the weekend, Cunningham hosted a watch party with fans in New York on behalf of Quest Nutrition.
“I really am excited. I just think their products are getting bigger, they’re getting better – still high protein, low sugar – and so as an elite level athlete that’s exactly what you want,” she said of her partnership. “You still want to eat healthy but you also, for me, I have a sweet tooth and so why would I not want to indulge a little bit on a tasty treat because that’s something that will always kind of stick with me so I’d much rather eat something that’s good for me than you know something bad.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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