Sophie Cunningham Had a Career Night for the Fever. She Made One of the Best Jokes of the Season Too.
Sophie Cunningham dropped a career-high 27 points for the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night. Then she stole the postgame show too.
The Fever beat the Connecticut Sun. Cunningham shot 9 of 13 from the floor, including 5 of 7 from three. The 27 points were the most she has scored in any WNBA game. She also added six rebounds and four assists for good measure.
The basketball part was great. The press conference part went viral.
Asked what was different about her game on the night, Cunningham deadpanned a one-liner that perfectly captures her personality. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe I just stopped passing as much.” Caitlin Clark, sitting right next to her, lost it. The room cracked up. Even the moderator was caught smiling.
This is Cunningham’s brand. She is a real basketball player who happens to be exceptional at landing a joke. The Fever’s roster is built around Clark, and Cunningham knows the assignment when she steps on the floor. She defends, she spaces, she takes the open three. On nights when the Sun’s defense collapses on Clark, Cunningham gets her looks.
Tuesday was that kind of night. Connecticut was determined not to let Clark take 25 shots. They blitzed every pick and roll. Clark adjusted by getting off the ball quickly and finding teammates in advantage situations. Cunningham was the biggest beneficiary.
The Fever needed this. Indiana started the season 8-4 but has been searching for a consistent secondary scorer. Aliyah Boston has been steady. Kelsey Mitchell has been hot and cold. If Cunningham can give them anywhere close to 15 a night on real shooting efficiency, this team is a real problem in the East.
The combination of Clark’s gravity and Cunningham’s catch-and-shoot game has been clicking all month. Indiana is shooting 38 percent from three as a team. They are one of three offenses in the WNBA averaging more than 110 possessions per game.
The viral moment matters too. The WNBA is in a content moment. Every fan with a phone is recording press conferences. Players who lean into the moment build their brand fast. Cunningham gets it. Clark gets it. The Fever as a franchise gets it.
This is the team you have to watch this summer. They have the most popular player in the league. They have a coach in Stephanie White who knows how to deploy Clark. They have a supporting cast that is finally finding its footing.
And they have Cunningham, who is now scoring at career levels and dropping comedy bits on national TV. Indiana is fun again.
The Fever travel to Phoenix this weekend. The Mercury have struggled out of the gate. If Cunningham strings together two or three more nights like Tuesday, Indiana is going to start showing up in the championship conversation. That would have sounded crazy two years ago.
It does not sound crazy now.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
