Sophie Cunningham knew returning to Phoenix would bring emotions, but she never expected it to feel this satisfying. Even watching her Indiana Fever teammates collapse around her in a 35-point blowout, Cunningham found precisely what she was looking for: the chance to remind her former team why they’d miss her.
What Made Sophie Cunningham’s Trip to Phoenix “So Good?”
The game against Phoenix turned into a nightmare for the Fever when both active point guards, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, suffered season-ending injuries in the same contest. With the ship sinking around her, Cunningham rose to the occasion and delivered a season-high 18 points.
“I went home, and I started like hitting some threes, and you know, I was talking all s***. Oh god, it felt so good. I know we lost by 30, but I still got mine off,” Cunningham shared on her podcast “Show Me Something.”
The Fever guard caught fire from beyond the arc, connecting on five of eight three-pointers. While players across the league love talking trash when shots start falling, this situation carried genuine weight because of the issues between these two teams stemming from Cunningham’s earlier comments.
The tension traces back to Mercury guard DeWanna Bonner’s mid-season departure from Indiana. Cunningham had commented on her podcast that Bonner could have handled her exit more professionally by at least texting her teammates. Those words created friction that boiled over when the teams met on the court.
Why Does Sophie Cunningham Consider the Mercury “Drama”?
The animosity between Cunningham and her former team reached a breaking point during their heated on-court exchange with Bonner. Cunningham confirmed on the podcast that the bad blood is “1,000%” because of her comments about Bonner’s exit, and she doesn’t shy away from calling her former squad problematic.
“I could have been way meaner, right? Like I told her like, she didn’t listen to the whole clip. She just saw the thing about like ‘she could have handled it more professional [sic],’ which, like honestly, everyone that’s talked to me besides their team has [said] like yeah, she could have,” Cunningham said.
“And so it’s like, duh. But this that team is just drama to me,” the Fever guard said.
RELATED: Mercury Veteran DeWanna Bonner Takes a Subtle Dig at Fever After Ugly Exit From Indiana
Despite the tension with the Mercury roster, Cunningham made clear that her feelings toward Phoenix, the city, and its fans remain positive. Their relationship runs deeper than any temporary team conflicts.
“I have nothing but love for Phoenix, honestly. And like no joke, I’m still like some of those fans’ favorite player, which is weird. So like they did an intro video and it was so nice and I got a lot of cheers,” said Cunningham.
The fans eventually turned to booing when Cunningham started getting chippy during the game, but she understands that reaction comes with the territory. That kind of engagement, even when negative, shows how much the Phoenix crowd still connects with her.
This budding rivalry between the Fever and Mercury will continue its next chapter on September 2, with Phoenix hosting again. Given how much satisfaction Cunningham found in this lopsided loss, imagine what she might do if Indiana actually manages to keep the game competitive.
