Do you know the real Sophie Cunningham? The honest answer is, probably not. You know of the Phoenix Mercury sharpshooter, who is known for having a competitive fire that, at times, has often been intertwined with a narrative that’s followed her since college. Actually, way before that. In Kindergarten, parents scolded her on the soccer field for being “too aggressive, too rough.” She never wavered, not as a top ranked recruit and former McDonald’s All-American in high school, or at Mizzou, where she emerged into the program’s all-time leading scorer and led her squad to back-to-back-to-back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament.
But even amidst all of that success, the hometown standout couldn’t shake the perception that the fire that she exudes on the hardwood—the physicality, the celly’s after big-time plays, the hair flips—are intentionally petty acts by a “dirty player.” When the Tigers faced off against South Carolina during the 2017-18 season, fans booed her any time she got the rock. And then, in the second quarter, a scuffle ensued at the top of the key between the Gamecocks and the Tigers, causing a surge of backlash surrounding the Tigers, and Cunningham specifically.
“For me, I don’t listen to all that noise,” she tells us over Zoom in June. “I got that stuff in college, too. We beat South Carolina multiple years in a row and all of a sudden I’m the dirty player and it’s like, Nah, I’m just out working. I’m working y’all’s ass, you know what I mean?
But I can’t really say that. I’ve been used to it but I just know that I have a very tight circle. I lean on them quite a bit…For me, I just want to be the best teammate, I wanna be the best competitor [and] I wanna do whatever it takes for my team to win and all that other noise can just be squashed.”
That was six years ago, but throughout her career in the WNBA, Cunningham has still had to deal with the noise that this is who she is, even off the court. There’s been many, many instances of that happening throughout her career, the most famous of which being what went down between her and then-Sky star Kahleah Copper during Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals. Everyone was talking (and tweeting) about the controversial moment.
But back in 2022, Copper assured us moments like that are all part of what happens when competitive athletes go at it. Some even assumed they had beef, which Kah squashed. “They expect us to be all good and happy and shit, like, that’s not how it goes,” she told us for the cover of SLAM 236. “We are the best at what we do. We are super competitive.”
When we asked Cunningham recently about how she’s dealt with these narratives about her, she echoed that same sentiment. “Thank you for asking that question because I think that people see me and it’s so funny that any time I get a new teammate that maybe, like, they’re competitive, we kind of go at it. They’re like, Oh, you’re actually like, really nice and fun to be around. I’m like, duh. Why can’t I be competitive on the court and why can’t we all hang out after? I want to change that narrative for females that it’s OK to compete, it’s OK to play physical. It’s ok to go out there, work hard and sweat and then still be a nice human and a different person off the court, too. Like, we’re not going against high school[ers] or anything like that. These are the best people in the world, so you gotta bring it right.
I think for me when Kah came in, I didn’t think two things of it. I was just so happy that we were getting another badass player on our team that’s gonna help us win a championship here soon. For me, I don’t listen to all that noise.”
It’s what Cunningham brings to the team that’s allowed her to solidify her role on the Mercury, whether she’s been starting, or as is the case this season, mainly coming off the bench. It has earned her praise from legends like teammate Diana Taurasi, who once described Cunningham to the New York Times as someone who likes to “muck it up.”
“Whenever Sophie plays, the level of the game goes up. And you know, she’s done that consistently every year she’s been on our team. And that’s why she’s so important to what we do,” DT said, per The Next in 2022. Years prior, she gave Cunningham advice about remaining true to herself, too. “You’ve been playing this game ever since you were a kid,” Cunningham once recalled Taurasi telling her. “You know how to play. I have seen you. You know how to play, so just go out there and have fun.”
During the 2022 season, Cunningham dropped a career-high 23 points against the Liberty as a starter in July, and then a few days later, followed it up with a 36-point performance against the Lynx, along with seven boards and five steals, a historic stat line that made her only the second player in WNBA history to do so. The other? Cynthia Cooper in ‘97. Whether she’s dropping buckets, knocking down shots, or dishing out dimes—like she did in her win against the Storm— her ability to adapt to whatever the team needs makes her a key component.
And as the WNBA continues to grow, and new fans tune in to watch not just the Mercury, but across the League, there’s a sentiment that moments of competitiveness are personal, or that vets are targeting and/or jealous of the rookies. Cunningham kept it real about all of this, and in an exclusive interview, we chopped it up with the star about conversations surrounding Caitlin Clark, her own career thus far, and her interests off the court as an analyst for the Suns, showing out in the tunnel and more.
WSLAM: Hey Sophie! How do you feel like the season is going so far? What was your mindset going into it?
Sophie Cunningham: You know, since I’ve been in Phoenix, I’ve been here going on my sixth year, it has been a roller coaster. I’m someone who’s gonna shoot it straight that, like, it has not been the most fun years. I didn’t know if I was gonna go to a different team a couple of those years just because it’s just like so much drama was just going on. And so, when we got this new ownership, we got a whole new front office, we got a whole new coaching staff who are absolutely just phenomenal people and they do things the right way and they’re all about making sure us women have the same things as our brothers on the Suns do.
I just love their approach to everything and when I saw, the roster that we got, I was like, All right, we’re gonna be legit this year. With that sometimes people’s egos get hit a little bit—I have been starting the past two or three years, but I knew that I’m gonna have four or five Olympians on our team. So I’m like, you know what, I’m here to win, I’m here to compete. I’m hopeful to be an Olympian one day, maybe the 3×3 team. So, why would I not want to surround myself with people who have been where I wanna go? So, for me, my role does look a little different. I’m coming off the bench this year, but when I tell you, it is just so much fun to be on this team.
It has been like the best experience and everyone’s just genuinely, really good people.
WSLAM: What’s the vibe and energy of the team?
SC: Oh my God, we have so much energy. We have a lot of personalities [and] everyone’s just goofy. I know that we play basketball, but when I say that we laugh 24/7, [it] probably sounds like too much sometimes because like, hey, I’ll need to like dial it in a little bit. It’s fun though because we do compete at such a high level, but right when the ball stops, we’re all just like goofing around having a good time.
WSLAM: From your perspective, how has your game evolved over the years and what have you learned?
SC: I think there’s a lot of talk about our League right now, which I absolutely love…I think we have a lot of eyes and attention on our League, and I’m just happy to be a part of it during this time. I think the high school, college jump is massive, but the college to the pros is even 20 times more that. So, I think the first couple of years, you kind of have to find your feet. There’s some people who can go into the League and they have the green light right away and the balls in their hand 24/7. You see them kind of take off a lot sooner, whereas [for me], I was DT’s sub for the majority of my career. I finally worked my way into the starting lineup about two or three years ago, so [I] definitely was very persistent, was a lot of ups and downs. It was a mind game at some points.
For me, I just had to make sure I stayed ready and honestly, I learned that from DT. She’s the ultimate pro, she’s the GOAT of our game. Just the way that she goes about her everyday activity to become better each day and sometimes that’s not doing anything and it’s a mental day. I think I’ve really truly have learned from the very best. And, for me, I’m seeing [in] my career that the more I stack the days the better I become.
WSLAM: You’re a player that people have talked about for a while in terms of being super physical. For new fans, there’s a misconception that that style of play is very specific and targeting one person. What’s your perspective on that?
SC: You kind of hit it on the head because to be honest, I think that there are a lot of new eyes, but with that, there’s a lot of people who are uneducated about our League.
You see a lot of people in the public eye on the men’s side kind of having Caitlin Clark’s back, too, which is kind of surprising just because they know how physical our game has always been. But when I tell you that the narrative that we’re all against Caitlin or the vets against the rookies that needs to be squashed because it’s not like that. I promise you, it’s not like that. I’ve had my jaw broken, I’ve broken a finger, I’ve broken my nose. Everyone has stories of how physical this League really is and I think that is the main jump that people don’t understand.
It’s like, her skill level will come, everything else will come; the rookies in general. But it’s the physicality that people really have to get used to. And so for me, I don’t think anyone’s being targeted. If anything, I think we need to give her a little bit of grace sometimes because she has a lot on her plate and a lot of eyes on her. But with that, I think this is gonna be really good for her. She’s gonna be great. I think the rookie class is gonna be phenomenal for our League once they get that physicality thing kind of worked out. It takes a little bit of time [but] they’re gonna be just fine.
For me, I’ve always been a physical player. Coming into the League, I was actually a little bit surprised of how physical it was because I thought I was physical. But when I tell you, it doesn’t matter how big, how tall you are, everyone is strong and physical in this League and you better bring it otherwise it’s gonna look maybe bad.
WSLAM: Speaking of physicality, what has it been like teaming up with someone as competitive as Kah? Is this the first time that you guys have really been around each other?
SC: Yeah, it’s definitely like the first time that we’ve been around [each other]. We’ve always competed and I think that any time you put people who compete at that level and kind of have that dog and that, that kind of like shit about him a little bit that it’s gonna be kind of interesting to see how they actually team up.
But when I say it’s me, Kah, DT. You have [Natasha] Cloud. All four of us, we have a little bit of something to us and so to actually put all of us on the same team, it’s been so fun because now we just hype each other up. I feel bad for teams like they haven’t even seen the best of us yet. Kah’s been killing it. She has absolutely been killing it. She’s a dog and I’m just happy that she’s on my team to be honest.
WSLAM: You’re just as outspoken off the court, too. But you’ve also been showing out in the tunnel this year. Can you talk about your sense of style?
SC: You know what? To be honest, I do love fashion but I kind of want to keep it simple, too. The fashion fashion, it’s not my vibe. I think I just wouldn’t look good in it. I think the reason why we’re bringing the tunnel fits this year—it’s been a work in the process. I also think the more money you get, the more you’re able to do what you want, too—[but it] being Year 6 and just last year, they were getting better.
But this year I wanted them to be really good because – the amount of eyes. I’m telling you, the marketing, it is the best time to be in the W right now. And so why would you not kind of show out a little bit in those fashion fits?
WSLAM: We’re here for it! You’re also really into broadcasting as well. Can you talk more about how you got into that and what it’s like showcasing your personality and interests outside of the game?
SC: I have a lot of passions and a lot of loves outside of basketball. I think that’s how I’m able to enjoy basketball still because I have that balance. I don’t go overseas, I make it up in marketing money through endorsements. And then, I was just blessed with a great opportunity that the Suns needed a broadcaster. I’ve never really done it in my life. I’ve always been on the other side of the camera, but I’m like, I could talk to all for 10 hours. This can’t be that hard. And so, I actually ended up doing it two years ago and that was more just in-studio, pre, half and post game, interviewing some of the guys and I really loved it. It’s a lot harder than it looks, too. When I watch games now I’m listening to the broadcaster.
I’m trying to learn this year [and] I got to do in-studio and color commentating and I just fell in love with it. To watch these guys perform at the level they do [and] to see the game kind of break down and be simplified, but also so complicated at the same time. It was just fascinating to me.
I got to kind of become really close with our owner and our CFO and so I’ve gotten to actually learn the business side of sport, too. I’m turning into a nerd. I’ve never been a nerd…but I’ve really found it fascinating this past year.
I would love to get into broadcasting [when] I’m done. But then again, I would love to be an island girl somehow and get paid for that. I don’t even know what I want to do with my life [laughs]. So, we’ll see.
Photos via Getty Images.
