![\"Connecticut](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/connecticut-sun-v-indiana-fever-indianapolis-indiana-august-28-sophie-cunningham.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 28: Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates in the first half against the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 28, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License (Photo by Andy Lyons\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Sophie Cunningham did not flinch when Colin Cowherd ventured into potentially uncomfortable territory.<\/p>\n
During an appearance on \u201cThe Colin Cowherd Podcast,\u201d<\/a> the veteran host hesitated before describing the Indiana Fever<\/a> guard as something of the WNBA<\/a>\u2019s \u201csex symbol.\u201d<\/p>\n Cunningham immediately broke the tension.<\/p>\n \u201cJust say it. I don\u2019t care,\u201d she told Cowherd before laughing when he finally used the term.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is way better,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cI thought you were going to go somewhere completely different with this, so I\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n But Cunningham\u2019s answer quickly became about something bigger than a label.<\/p>\n The 30-year-old explained that her game-day fashion, femininity and willingness to embrace the spotlight are not at odds with the physical edge that has helped define her WNBA career.<\/p>\n \u201cScrew all that,\u201d Cunningham said of the idea that basketball players cannot be feminine. \u201cYes, you can. You can be girly and you can go out and kick someone\u2019s ass.\u201d<\/p>\n Cowherd\u2019s interview with Cunningham was released this week through The Volume<\/a>, the media company that is also home to Cunningham\u2019s new basketball-focused podcast, \u201cNo Hesitation.\u201d<\/p>\n Sophie Cunningham Wants Young Girls to See \u2018You Can Have Both\u2019<\/p>\n \n Cunningham said she has loved dresses, high heels and getting dressed up since childhood, but believes female basketball players historically have faced an unspoken expectation that athleticism and femininity must exist separately.<\/p>\n She wants younger players to see otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a lot of young girls who are girly, who are raised like I was, who have aspirations to be where I\u2019m at,\u201d Cunningham told Cowherd. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, well, can I do both?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Her answer was unequivocal.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can have both,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n That message comes as WNBA tunnel fashion has increasingly become part of the league\u2019s culture. Players\u2019 pregame outfits routinely circulate across team and league social-media accounts, giving athletes another avenue to express themselves and develop their personal brands. The Los Angeles Times documented<\/a> the rapid growth of the WNBA tunnel walk last year, with players describing fashion as an increasingly visible piece of the game-day experience.<\/p>\n Cunningham has taken advantage of that growing platform.<\/p>\n She made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in 2026<\/a> alongside Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and Olympic sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.<\/p>\n Cunningham Sees Fashion as Business Opportunity<\/p>\n Cunningham also acknowledged that her game-day looks are not purely about personal expression.<\/p>\n Earlier in her career, she said, players often arrived at arenas wearing sweats and clothes that looked almost indistinguishable from pajamas.<\/p>\n Now?<\/p>\n With considerably more attention surrounding the WNBA, Cunningham sees the tunnel as valuable real estate.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would I not maximize my opportunity?\u201d she said. \u201cIf people are seeing how I dress, well, guess what? That\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n Cunningham said clothing companies now send her outfits and pursue partnerships because of that exposure.<\/p>\n Her visibility has grown alongside her role in Indiana. Cunningham is averaging 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists this season for the Fever, according to the WNBA. The former Missouri standout is in her seventh professional season after Indiana acquired her from Phoenix in a four-team trade in 2025.<\/p>\n Cowherd may have framed the conversation around Cunningham\u2019s status as a supposed \u201csex symbol.\u201d<\/p>\n Cunningham\u2019s response was considerably broader.<\/p>\n She is comfortable being tough, feminine, marketable and unapologetically herself \u2014 all at the same time.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 28: Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates in the first half…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":892317,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-892316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/indiana-fever-v-chicago-sky-chicago-illinois-august-08-sophie-cunningham.jpg\")
Getty\u00a0Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever is fouled by DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky during the first half at United Center on August 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.\n<\/p>\n