With the Indiana Fever led by superstar Caitlin Clark, the team also had some major contributions last season that made it successful, with one player in particular being Sophie Cunningham. As the Fever will be headed by Cunningham and Clark down the line, the former reflects on last season.
Cunningham was traded to Indiana from the Phoenix Mercury on Jan. 31 of 2025, starting her stint back in the Midwest, where she grew up. She carved out a vital role for the team, up until she suffered a season-ending knee injury, but even all that, Cunningham would say how much Indiana has been a “blessing,” according to Nathalie Jones.
“It’s been so much fun, just being back in the Midwest, I’m back to my roots,” Cunningham said. “I’m back to being around the people that I grew up around, and then feel most alive, and I am dealing with an injury…rehab is going well, but the Indiana Fever was just such a blessing. You know, it’s more my speed, more my style of playing, the girls in the locker room, any level. It’s hard to find a group that really loves each other, and especially at the pros, we really did. And so it just made a really fun culture up in Indiana.”
Watch my full live interview with #Mizzou legend Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) at day one of the Sophie Cunningham Classic (@sophiecclassic)
“We want them to leave here thinking they can do anything.”
Outstanding event put on by the Cunningham family 👏 pic.twitter.com/oAFrlle1VK
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) January 10, 2026
Fever’s Sophie Cunningham on title aspirations 
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images.
With the Fever contributing to the growth of the NBA, helped by Clark, Cunningham, and others, the team is also trying to achieve major success and win titles. When talking about the connection the team has with one another, Cunningham would express how the aim of the team is to “go get a championship together.”
“I just think that we all had a vision of what this team could be,” Cunningham said. “We kept the main thing, the main thing, and that’s winning basketball games…But hopefully this next year. We don’t know if the CBA, but hopefully we can keep our core together and go get a championship together.”
At any rate, Indiana looks to improve after finishing with a 24-20 record, losing in the semifinals to the Las Vegas Aces.