When your season ends in heartbreak, sometimes even watching the crowning moment of your sport can feel like salt in the wound.
That’s where Sophie Cunningham finds herself now. The Indiana Fever guard, sidelined by injury and reeling from her team’s playoff exit, revealed on her podcast that she hasn’t watched a single minute of the 2025 WNBA Finals.
“Dude, in the past, I’ve watched the finals, but I just think this year, with all the injuries and all the s— our team went through, I really need a break from it. Good luck to whoever is going to win. I don’t, I honestly don’t care who wins this finals. And I don’t, I’ll be quiet. I’m stopping myself.”
Those words were spoken on Show Me Something, Cunningham‘s podcast. They carry the weight of a season that stretched her physically and mentally, and it’s clear she needs distance.
A season of damage control
The 2025 campaign was supposed to be Indiana’s moment. With expectations high, the Fever battled through rough stretches, injuries, and lineup upheavals.
But fate intervened. Cunningham herself suffered a torn MCL late in the season and was ruled out for the remainder of the year.
Her teammates didn’t escape unscathed either. Point guard Caitlin Clark has been out since July with a groin issue. Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald wound up with season-ending injuries, too.
With major pieces missing, Indiana’s margins thinned, and the team’s depth was tested.
Despite everything, the Fever staged a gritty postseason push. They pushed the Las Vegas Aces to five games in the semifinals before bowing out. But for Cunningham, even reaching that point came with costs too steep to shrug off.
In hindsight, streaming the Finals felt almost cruel, a reminder of what might have been. She admitted as much.
“Hell no. I haven’t watched a lick of the WNBA. I don’t know what’s going on. … I need a cleanse. I’m booking vacations,” she added in a later podcast episode.
It’s not just exhaustion; it’s emotional self-preservation. She refused to take sides, saying flatly she doesn’t care who wins. “I’ll be quiet. I’m stopping myself.”
She also offered a brief update on her recovery: “No, cast. I haven’t had one for a while…. I had my checkup and they told me, ‘You’re progressing really well. And you look awesome.'”
And yet, she conceded her injured knee still lags: “I can bend it past where they want it, but it’s not equivalent to my other leg.”
Where frustration meets accountability
Her decision isn’t just about fatigue. Cunningham has been outspoken this season, not merely about her injury or team struggles, but about leadership and accountability in the WNBA.
In past remarks, she has taken aim at the league’s top brass, including critiques of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Her ire is not new. Cunningham has argued that many people in leadership roles are excellent businesspeople but lack a true understanding of basketball. She has called for better accountability, and she’s not shying away from controversy.
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