Sophie Cunningham has won the love and affection of Indiana Fever fans since joining the team in January of this year. However, she hasn’t been the only one to make a mark.
The 29-year-old guard was officially inducted into the Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame, but fans highlighted a curious detail after her award.
“Looking mom like”
In the four years she shined for Missouri Tigers, she averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. In addition, Cunningham became the all-time leading scorer with 2187 points and set the school record for free throws with 537.
“You know, it’s just a special night to be back home in my hometown. My whole family, all my friends were here, and so I did get inducted to the Hall of Fame. But I promise you that this is an award for all of them to get me to where I’m at,” she said at the ceremony.
Following the award, Sophie attended the Minnesota Tigers and Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns game to support her alma mater’s soccer team. However, something in particular caught the attention of fans: the baby she was holding in her arms, presumably her niece, daughter of her older sister Lindsay Cunningham.
The X account @sophiecham_fan shared a video of the player holding her niece while receiving the ovation of the public present. “Sophie Cunningham being honored at the @MizzouFootball game!” they wrote. And fans responded to the post by saying:
“Looking mom like,” one wrote.
“Awww what a cutie you hold! Wonderful memory and legacy for the whole family. Nobody gets to the level of pro athlete without family, mentor, coaches and team. And Sophie made sure she said that!” another follower remarked.
“Congratulations on HOF Well deserved” said a third.
“Sophie is in my Hall of Fame also!” affirmed another user.
Meanwhile, in the WNBA, by the time Sophie arrived in Indiana, she was already a face that WNBA fans easily recognized. Selected by Phoenix Mercury 13th overall in the 2019 draft and later traded to Fever, she has been in the league for six years now, although the latter was the one that led her to take on greater popularity as she joined Caitlin Clark and those led by Stephanie White.
However, her trajectory has not been without obstacles. While her start was solid, a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) in a matchup against Connecticut Sun last August 19 ended her first season with Fever prematurely. She averaged 8.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
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