Indiana Fever · 2025—
Indianapolis,
number eight
2025
A trade, a trophy and a stop
2 February 2025
Traded to Indiana
In the Indiana—Phoenix leg of the deal, Indiana acquired Cunningham and the No. 19 pick in the 2025 draft, and Phoenix received NaLyssa Smith and the No. 8 pick, in what was reported as a multi-team deal. Her six seasons in Phoenix end here. The story of the trade.
1 July 2025
Commissioner's Cup
Indiana beat the Minnesota Lynx 74—59 in the final in Minneapolis, her first professional championship.
17 August 2025
Hurt at Connecticut
She left the game at Connecticut in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Her first Indiana season ended there, at 30 games, 8.6 points and 43.2% from three.
19 August 2025
Ruled out for the season
Two days later the Fever's roster update announced that she was out for the remainder of the year. Indiana played the rest of it, including its postseason games, without her. The story of the injury and the return.
17 and 19 August 2025
The injury happened on 17 August: the game recap and ESPN's reporting that day both place a knee injury in the second quarter at Connecticut. The season-ending status was announced two days later. The Fever's release did not name the diagnosis; the torn right MCL, and the fact that it was suffered in the Connecticut game, come from ESPN's reporting of 19 August. Source: Game recap, Indiana at Connecticut, 17 August 2025 (AP/WNBA); ESPN reporting of 17 and 19 August 2025; Indiana Fever release — roster update, 19 August 2025.
2026
A return in May, a playoff place in August
April 2026
Re-signed for one year
A one-year deal for 2026, reported at $665,000. On her podcast that month she said she had wanted longer-term stability and found the one-year outcome frustrating, adding afterwards that she was grateful to be back and had not meant to sound ungrateful. The reporting and contract figure are covered on contract & salary.
9 May 2026
First game back
Indiana's season opener, her first appearance since the knee injury: 3 points and 4 rebounds in a 107—104 loss to the Dallas Wings. The club had confirmed on 19 April that she was healthy for the start of the season.
11—13 June 2026
One game missed
Listed as questionable on 10 June, ruled out of the game against Chicago on 11 June with a right-elbow issue, and back in the line-up against Connecticut on 13 June.
22 August 2026
Playoff place clinched
Indiana clinched a playoff berth, its third in a row, at 24—13 at the time of that report.
Her 2026 numbers
Through 39 games she is averaging 8.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 22.7 minutes, shooting .434 from three, with 3 starts. Almost all of her appearances in 2026 have come off the bench, a different role from either of her Phoenix starting years. Figures run through 7 September 2026.
16 June 2026
Twenty-four points off the bench
Her highest-scoring game of the 2026 season, reported as a season high in points and as matching her career high for three-pointers rather than beating it.
- Her scoring
- 24 points, off the bench.
- Her shooting
- Six three-pointers, matching — not passing — her career high.
- The team
- Indiana beat the Toronto Tempo 113—91, with the 113 points in regulation reported as a franchise record.
- The fixture
- A Commissioner's Cup group-stage game.
- Sources
- Fieldhouse Files (Scott Agness) — Cunningham scores 24 as Indiana beats Toronto (17 June 2026); ESPN — Fever 113—91 Tempo, box score (16 June 2026).
Her second Indiana season
She is in her second Indiana season, wearing number 8 and playing mostly off the bench on a one-year contract. Her two Indiana seasons are the two most accurate of her career from three, and her minutes and starts are lower than in her Phoenix peak.
Sources: Basketball Reference — Sophie Cunningham (statistics); Indiana Fever releases and the reporting listed on the sources page for the trade, the Commissioner's Cup, the injury, her return and the clinch. Checked 7 September 2026.