Sophie Cunningham sends strong message before WNBA playoffs

Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever will enter the WNBA playoffs as the No. 6-seeded team. They lost two of their last three games after previously winning eight of 10. However, the veteran guard sent a strong message to the rest of the competition ahead of the postseason.

Cunningham failed to score on Thursday against the Minnesota Lynx. She went 0-of-4 from the field and finished with two rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. The home team dominated them early on and head coach Stephanie White decided to play the reserves more in the second half.

Kelsey Mitchell was the lone Indiana player to score in double digits with 10. Grace VanSlooten backed her with nine points, while Monique Billings added six points and 10 rebounds. Caitlin Clark struggled, producing just two points, four rebounds and three assists in the 86-66 loss.

WNBA: Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham — Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts against the Phoenix Mercury during an WNBA game.

Indiana Fever: Sophie Cunningham shares her thoughts about the playoffs

Cunningham spoke about what the playoffs mean to her. On her “No Hesitation” podcast on Thursday, she shared the things she likes about about preparing for postseason games.

“I love the playoffs,” Cunningham said. “I’m a very high IQ player. I love that part of the game (and) I love the film breakdown and throwing different things at different teams. But I also love seeing them on defense and what we can do to manipulate them on offense. So, I love playoff basketball.”

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Cunningham was part of the starting five early in the season. However, she was moved by White to the bench for her offensive firepower. The 30-year-old has had an up-and-down year, struggling with consistently especially late in the regular season. Her production will be key to Indiana success as it’s aiming to live up to expectations of being an offseason title favorite. The 2026 playoffs will start on Sunday, and a lot of eyes will be on Cunningham and the Fever.