Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham thinks the WNBA needs a leader with a backbone, and she used a recent hour on Theo Von’s podcast to say more.
In the Wednesday episode of This Past Weekend, Von’s quirky sense of humor meshed well with Cunningham’s straightforward commentary on league leadership, player salaries, rivalries, the national anthem, and her faith. Clips from the interview quickly went viral, earning plaudits from fans who appreciate her candor and those who enjoy the discourse.
Cunningham, 30, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season after playing under a one-year, $665,000 contract. She is set to play overseas this winter as part of Project B, a brand new global women’s league, and recently launched a basketball podcast with trainer Drew Hanlen.
A rocky finish and a league in transition
The Fever won 28 of 44 regular-season games but fell to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the first round. A’ja Wilson scored 36 points as Las Vegas beat Indiana by 11 in Game 3 on Oct. 1, ending the Fever’s season for the second year in a row.
When asked what the Fever lacked, Cunningham responded without hesitation: “Shots? Duh.”
“We didn’t make our shots,” she said. “Just didn’t play great.” She said the loss still stings, but a few weeks at home have helped her relax.
Drafted 13th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019, Cunningham said the league has changed “night and day” since then. She recalled her parents downloading “some weird app” to watch her early games, only to get a black screen.
She credited the 2024 rookie class, led by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, for bringing their college followings along with them. “If you put really any women’s sport on TV, people will fall in love with it,” she said. And the best part, she added, is that young girls now have role models who look like them and come from where they come from.
‘A backbone is needed’
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of the year, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Sept. 4. Her tenure since 2019 increased team valuations, ratings, and salaries, but it has also strained the relationship with the players’ union.
Cunningham gave Engelbert “a little bit of credit” for the changes, noting the league was much different when she took over. When asked if the commissioner is just retiring, Cunningham said, “I mean, that’s one way to put it.”
She praised Silver as an example. “I think Adam Silver does a phenomenal job of having a relationship with his NBA players,” she said. “We need someone who has a backbone.”
Cunningham said the next commissioner must keep communicating with both players and owners. “She doesn’t talk to any of us,” she said about Engelbert. “So how would we know?”
Von showed a July clip of broadcaster Dan Patrick criticizing Engelbert for canceling a scheduled interview at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe after waiting nearly two hours. Cunningham said players asked for years for respect and coverage in the mainstream media.
“Now that we have it, pressure is a privilege,” she said. “People are wanting to talk to us finally, so why are we denying it?”
From $28,000 to Project B
Cunningham said her rookie season paycheck barely covered her expenses. “My rookie year after tax and everything, I think I made like $28,000,” she said. Her base salary that year was $42,570, according to contract figures from EssentiallySports.
Like many players, she has spent her summers overseas before endorsements and broadcasting paid enough. She knows a player who worked at a grocery store while playing in the league.
That changed with the labor deal signed in March, which runs seven seasons through 2032. It increased the salary cap in 2026 to $7 million per team from $1.5 million, lifted the average salary to about $583,000 before revenue sharing, and established top “supermax” salaries near $1.4 million, the first contracts above $1 million in league history. “We’re all making good money now,” Cunningham said.
She also praised the protection for players who become pregnant. The 2020 labor deal first guaranteed full salaries during maternity leave, and the new agreement adds a salary cap exception for pregnancy and childbirth. Cunningham said when she joined the league, players thought they had to choose between becoming pregnant and a roster spot. “So I’m glad we fixed that,” she said.
This winter, Cunningham will play in Project B, a startup league with six teams of 11 players on a traveling tour from November through April. USA Today reported the league guarantees salaries starting at $2 million. Cunningham said her stops will be China, Singapore, Spain, and Germany, with about 10 days of games and the rest of the month off.
She and Hanlen host “No Hesitation,” a show she calls “strictly basketball.” It replaces “Show Me Something,” the podcast she did with reality TV personality West Wilson.
Stalkers, security, and a viral moment
Cunningham said players had no security during her first five seasons. She remembers her teammates forming a circle around Brittney Griner when the crowd pressed in at the Phoenix airport. A man carrying Griner’s bags swung them while pushing back the crowd, and one of them hit Cunningham in the nose. “Black eye the next day,” she said.
The league’s increased visibility has also brought new threats. Kevin Singh, 48, was charged in June with stalking, harassment, and intimidation after prosecutors say he sent Cunningham threatening and explicit messages on social media. He has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed in Marion County, and a judge last week denied his motion to reduce his $40,000 bond.
Cunningham said she believes the FBI is monitoring about 20 people in connection with her safety. She jokes that she may have to rename her miniature donkey, which is also named Kevin.
She also recalls being hit in the foot by a sex toy thrown from the stands during an August 2025 game in Los Angeles, days after she asked her fans on social media to stop throwing such objects. If it had hit her face, she said, it “could have broken my nose.”
She also explained her viral point at Phoenix’s DeWanna Bonner, which lasted 22 seconds in a June 22 win over the Mercury and became a huge meme that season. Cunningham said Bonner told her not to point at her, so she just kept pointing. “I didn’t say a word,” she said. “I got my nails done that day. So happy I did that.”
Drama, the anthem, and faith
Cunningham said most of the WNBA drama fans see online is made up. “I’m telling you 90% of WNBA drama is made up s***,” she said, adding that she started her podcast to break down the game itself.
She defends rivalries as part of the game. “It’s okay to be a female and compete and have rivalries,” she said. “That’s what sports is.”
Asked by Von about players’ romantic relationships, Cunningham said she dates only men and is “on the outside of that web.” She added, “I just kind of sit back and eat my popcorn and watch it all unfold,” and said of others’ personal lives, “to each their own.”
The national anthem became a topic during the WNBA Finals when the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the court before it was played. Multiple outlets reported that many teams have done so for years, while a few, including the Fever and Minnesota Lynx, remained on the court this season.
“I’m grateful, and I support the people who serve,” said Cunningham, who noted relatives have served in the military. “I take a lot of pride in where I come from, and I’m proud to be an American citizen.” She added, “That doesn’t mean that’s where everyone stands.”
Cunningham, who was baptized as an adult in April after returning to the Fever, said her Christian faith keeps her steady amid all the praise and criticism. “I don’t care what people’s opinions are about me because I’m not living for their praise,” she said.
She also denied a rumor that she would appear on the reality show “Love Island,” saying she is now fully committed to her faith. “No. Why would I go on Love Island?” she said.
Cunningham called the interview “a blast.”
“It’s my speed,” she said. “My brain speed.”
