Sophie Cunningham is back with the Indiana Fever once again on a one-year, $665,000 deal. Cunningham didn’t sugarcoat her opinions and had a lot to say on how it went down.
Why Sophie Cunningham Is Frustrated With Her New Fever Contract
On a recent appearance on her podcast “Show Me Something”, Cunningham pulled the curtains back on the free agency process that left her more frustrated than ever before.
When her co-host, West Wilson, asked her how the contract turned out for her and whether it met her expectations, Cunningham quickly shook her head and said, “Nope!”
“It’s tough because I came off an injury, and I haven’t been in front of any teams. I had a lot going on this offseason. I was fully cleared; they had all the doctors, they had the numbers, and everything. But if you don’t get in front of these people, it’s like, ‘Hey, are you actually good?'”
“I’m not even gonna lie to you, though, it’s a little, kind of, frustrating. Because I’m someone who, I kind of shoot it straight,” she added. “If I weren’t feeling good or was hesitant, I think I would have said something and been honest. Because I’m just at the point in my career where I just want to win. I know it is a business, but I just think I’m wired a little differently.”
She continued, “It was a little weird. But, you know what? I think this was a great wake-up call to not get comfortable. I think it kind of lit a fire under my a** even more. At the end of the day, I’m coming back from a major injury. Like, it was a MCL. So I feel good. I’m shooting the ball well, I’m mentally in a great spot.”
Now, given how Cunningham puts it, it looks like her frustration isn’t with the $665,000 amount but the length of the contract.
An MCL tear last August limited her to just 30 games in her first season with the team and even kept her out of the picture during the offseason visibility window. Usually, this is the time players utilize well to remind various teams what they can actually do.
Cunningham did not get that. But the narrative across the internet was already flowing that the Fever star is “reportedly unhappy” with the amount she’s getting, prompting Cunningham to shut down this opinion.
She took to X to clarify: “I’m gonna shut this down right now. I’m not mad about the money. I just wanted more years because I love it here. I wanted to get a house so I could bring my dog and donkey to Indy with me. That’s it. That’s the truth. I think we have something very special here in Indiana.”
Cunningham’s contract with the Fever is significant in its own right. She made $100,000 in 2025, meaning $665,000 is a massive jump, all thanks to the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
But under the same CBA, top-tier deals have scaled quickly.
Aliyah Boston signed a four-year, $6.3 million deal with Indy, which is the richest in the league. Lexie Hull got two years for over $1.5 million.
Cunningham just got one year, making it sound more like a “prove-it” deal, even as she was shooting 43.2% from three and 46.9% from the field.
Indiana now opens the 2026 WNBA regular season on May 9 against the Dallas Wings.
