Sophie Cunningham arrived at Indiana Fever in February after six years with Phoenix Mercury. However, she was one of five players on the team who had to end their season due to injury.
Now, taking advantage of the WNBA offseason to recover and focus on other hobbies, the 29-year-old point guard reflected on her podcast about the tough loss Kansas City Chiefs suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sophie analyzes the rest of the Chiefs’ season
This season was not easy for the Fever, as Cunningham joined Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, Chloe Bibby, and Damiris Dantas on the team’s injured list.
The 29-year-old point guard suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in her right knee in August, requiring surgery. She finished the year averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 30 games.
For this reason, she knows firsthand how Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the team feel. During the 13-16 loss to the Chargers, Pat suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL). He underwent successful surgery the next day, Monday, December 15, and is expected to be out for 9 to 12 months.
This was not only a major blow to the team on a sporting level, but also an emotional one. In addition, the loss also meant a drop in their record to 6-8 and elimination from playoff contention, something that had not happened since the 2014 season.
In this regard, Cunningham took the time on her podcast “Show Me Something” to offer optimism and take advantage of this situation to consider other players and their skills: “I do think that this is just a year and I think that sometimes you need these years to be re-motivated [light] a fire under your butt,” Sophie said.
“I want us to finish the season with no more injuries. Like, I want other players to go out there and kick ass, and maybe some of them will get an extended contract. Like, there’s so much more positives that can come from the season with opportunities for other players,” added the Fever star, who doesn’t believe the Chiefs’ dynasty is over.
In addition, Sophie did not hide her admiration for the Kansas City QB and assured that the team should consider improvements to its roster for next season:
“I am curious to see what’s going to happen, because I do think that it’s time to start stacking people up around Mahomes, because you do not want to lose out on this freaking human who is phenomenal.”
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Sophie will be part of ‘Project B‘, a 5-on-5 basketball league that offers higher financial compensation than the current league and will launch in 2026 to play during the WNBA offseason.
However, without a contract with the Fever for 2026 and being a free agent, coupled with the expansion draft, her place in Indiana is not assured.
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