Sophie Cunningham has always been a big talker. The former Mizzou star has said she could \u201ctalk to a wall for eight hours\u201d and still be happy about it. She started her own podcast with childhood friend West Wilson named \u201cShow Me Something.\u201d It is produced by \u201cThe Volume,\u201d a media company owned by Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd. Naturally, that interest translates into broadcasting, as Cunningham has just become a contributor elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Cunningham announced that she is joining USA Sports Studio\u2019s WNBA coverage for the upcoming WNBA season. \u201cI\u2019m back baby and with a NEW SQUAAAAD!! I\u2019m joining the @usasports team throughout the year to contribute to studio coverage of @wnba games on @usanetwork. \ud83c\udfc0\ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffc\ud83d\udd25\u201d she wrote. Immediately, worries started to float among Indiana Fever fans about whether she would return to the court. Especially as Cunningham is a free agent in the largest roster shake-up in the history of the WNBA.<\/p>\n
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However, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, \u201cshe will contribute as her playing schedule allows.\u201d So, Cunningham will manage both simultaneously. She has ample experience to become a broadcaster. She did the same in Phoenix when the Suns hired Cunningham in December 2022 to work alongside Tom Leander and Suns Ring of Honor member Tom Chambers as a guest analyst on the pregame and postgame shows as well as halftime analysis. In March, she also hosted Quest Nutrition\u2019s social media series Grand Try, in which the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Team USA rugby teams starred.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love talking to people and learning their stories. I love the \u2018why,\u2019\u201d Cunningham told SI. \u201cWhen I get asked to [commentate] for basketball, I know the game, I have the IQ for it. I see plays, I see why they do different schemes. You get to break down these elite level players and why they do what they do. I find it so fascinating, and I understand it. And, for some reason, people like to hear me break it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Indiana Fever now have three broadcasters on their squad. Clark has now appeared twice on NBC\u2019s NBA coverage. Aliyah Boston was with the Big Ten Network in the past WNBA season and hosts her podcast with Candace Parker too. All three have been well received among the fans and analysts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really refreshing to work with her because a lot of people that go through formal training to be a broadcaster feel like they have to fit into certain boxes, and she just lets it fly,\u201d Leander said regarding Cunningham at the time. \u201cShe reacts to the different topics with just an honesty and an insight that is very unique and enjoyable to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Along with the broadcast, Cunningham will contribute to \u201cunique segments and special content across USA Sports\u2019 studio show and social media,\u201d according to Agness. Cunningham is among the most followed WNBA athletes, with more than 3.3 million followers across social media. However, on the court, there is not much certainty for Sophie Cunningham after the Indiana Fever\u2019s latest moves.<\/p>\n
Sophie Cunningham\u2019s Indiana Fever Future In Doubt As Franchise Analyzes Free Agency Options<\/p>\n
The new CBA presents some contract gymnastics for the Indiana Fever. They have four high-value players to retain and not enough cap to retain them with. With a salary cap of $7 million, the Fever have already sent a core qualifying offer to Kelsey Mitchell. Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston stay on as rookies, with Boston eligible for a max contract because of the EPIC provision in the new CBA. The franchise has also extended a restricted qualifying offer to Lexie Hull. That gives them the right to match any offer that comes to Hull in order to retain her.<\/p>\n
Sophie Cunningham\u2019s return amidst this chaos has raised questions. Cunningham is looking for a long-term contract and is up for a big increment to her $100,000 salary from 2025. In addition, her role as a pure shooter from last season could be filled via a more complete player in this free agency.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe Sophie decision looms large because of the monetary commitments and the other players that are available,\u201d Robin Lundberg said. \u201cTo me, the biggest needs are a big, especially if you can make the big a stretch big. There\u2019s one on the market who seems intent on leaving her current place: Alana Smith of the Lynx.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith has recently admitted that she is not firmly planted in Minnesota. \u201cI think, like I said, I think it\u2019s about best fit,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou know, I loved Minnesota, but a lot of teams are looking different this year. So, I think I\u2019d be doing a disservice to myself if I wasn\u2019t exploring other opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year with the Lynx, Smith averaged 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field and 32.5% from the three-point line. Yes, that is less than what Cunningham (43.2%) gives, but Smith gives Fever much more than shooting. Her rebounding and chance creation are better. At 6\u20194, she gives Fever more size, which they lacked last season.<\/p>\n
So, this free agency is set to shake up the Indiana Fever along with many other teams, but the team has secured their core and are looking to take a step up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sophie Cunningham has always been a big talker. The former Mizzou star has said she could \u201ctalk to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[251812,2648,1760,2839,4806,5621,6429,5551,4805,99,251811,434,83943],"class_list":{"0":"post-571383","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-alana-smith","9":"tag-aliyah-boston","10":"tag-caitlin-clark","11":"tag-indiana-fever","12":"tag-kelsey-mitchell","13":"tag-lexie-hull","14":"tag-minnesota","15":"tag-phoenix-mercury","16":"tag-sophie-cunningham","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-tom-leander","19":"tag-wnba","20":"tag-wnba-season"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}