Sophie Cunningham has a message for critics who think her controversies have become more of a story than her basketball career: She doesn’t care what they think, and she doesn’t need a stat sheet to justify her place in the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever guard fired back on her No Hesitation podcast with basketball trainer Drew Hanlen after The Athletic published an opinion column questioning whether Indiana should keep her on its roster. The column described Cunningham as “too combustible” and suggested that her off-court notoriety had eclipsed her contributions to a team featuring Caitlin Clark.
“I literally don’t even care what anybody says about me anymore, because I’ve said this so many times — if you’re going to live by the praise, you’re going to die by the hate,” Cunningham said.
She wasn’t finished.
“No matter what anybody says to me, I’m going to continue to do me,” she continued. “I know what I bring to the table; it’s not always in the stat sheet.”
The criticism centered partly on Cunningham’s scoring. The Athletic pointed to her average of fewer than eight points per game while questioning whether the attention surrounding her had become a liability for Indiana.
WNBA statistics show Cunningham averaged just under eight points per game during the 2026 season, roughly matching her career average. However, her rebounding and assist averages fell below her career marks.
Cunningham has previously challenged the suggestion that her public controversies interfere with her performance.