The Indiana Fever do not want to lose Sophie Cunningham, even with the off-court controversy that she has engendered all season.
Fever general manager Amber Cox on Saturday confirmed that Indiana will try to re-sign Cunningham this offseason, when she returns to free agency upon the expiration of her one-year contract.
Since her arrival in a trade from the Phoenix Mercury in 2025, Cunningham has become a firm favorite among Fever fans for her elite three-point shooting and her penchant for making hustle plays. Further, she has become known as Caitlin Clark’s “enforcer,” and she shares a strong relationship with the All-Star point guard.
MORE: Fever trade idea pairs Caitlin Clark with ‘All WNBA-caliber’ sharpshooter
However, Cunningham’s 2026 season was largely tumultuous after she made comments to ESPN that were widely viewed as transphobic.
“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham said in an interview that was published in July.
Indiana is one of 27 states that has restricted transgender participation in sports.
Amber Cox says Sophie Cunningham’s off-court comments will have no bearing on whether the Fever try to re-sign her.
Says she’s had a productive two years for the Fever, and they’ll be in conversations with her team about keeping her here. @WISHNews8 | @wrtv
— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) October 3, 2026
Cunningham’s comments struck a nerve and produced one of the 2026 season’s defining controversies: the emergence of bad-faith actors in Royce White and Enes Kanter Freedom, who “declared” for the 2027 WNBA Draft and claimed they would adopt personas as biological women to do so.
Nevertheless, the Fever is evaluating Cunningham strictly from a basketball perspective. Cox and the Indiana front office see a valuable role player who can continue to contribute to the WNBA’s No.1 offense. And Cunningham knows that she is a unique fit in Indiana.
A reunion in 2027 makes sense for both sides.
More WNBA news: