Have you learnt the actual Sophie Cunningham? The trustworthy reply is, in all probability not. You realize of the Phoenix Mercury sharpshooter, who is thought for having a aggressive hearth that, at occasions, has typically been intertwined with a story that’s adopted her since faculty. Truly, manner earlier than that. In Kindergarten, mother and father scolded her on the soccer subject for being “too aggressive, too tough.” She by no means wavered, not as a prime ranked recruit and former McDonald’s All-American in highschool, or at Mizzou, the place she emerged into this system’s all-time main scorer and led her squad to back-to-back-to-back-to-back appearances within the NCAA event.
However even amidst all of that success, the hometown standout couldn’t shake the notion that the hearth that she exudes on the hardwood—the physicality, the celly’s after big-time performs, the hair flips—are deliberately petty acts by a “soiled participant.” When the Tigers confronted off in opposition to South Carolina throughout the 2017-18 season, followers booed her any time she bought the rock. After which, within the second quarter, a scuffle ensued on the prime of the important thing between the Gamecocks and the Tigers, inflicting a surge of backlash surrounding the Tigers, and Cunningham particularly.
“For me, I don’t take heed to all that noise,” she tells us over Zoom in June. “I bought that stuff in faculty, too. We beat South Carolina a number of years in a row and swiftly I’m the soiled participant and it’s like, Nah, I’m simply out working. I’m working y’all’s ass, what I imply?
However I can’t actually say that. I’ve been used to it however I simply know that I’ve a really tight circle. I lean on them fairly a bit…For me, I simply wish to be one of the best teammate, I wanna be one of the best competitor [and] I wanna do no matter it takes for my staff to win and all that different noise can simply be squashed.”
That was six years in the past, however all through her profession within the WNBA, Cunningham has nonetheless needed to take care of the noise that that is who she is, even off the court docket. There’s been many, many situations of that occuring all through her profession, essentially the most well-known of which being what went down between her and then-Sky star Kahleah Copper throughout Sport 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals. Everybody was speaking (and tweeting) in regards to the controversial second.
However again in 2022, Copper assured us moments like which are all a part of what occurs when aggressive athletes go at it. Some even assumed they’d beef, which Kah squashed. “They count on us to be all good and pleased and shit, like, that’s not the way it goes,” she advised us for the duvet of SLAM 236. “We’re one of the best at what we do. We’re tremendous aggressive.”
After we requested Cunningham not too long ago about how she’s handled these narratives about her, she echoed that very same sentiment. “Thanks for asking that query as a result of I believe that folks see me and it’s so humorous that any time I get a brand new teammate that perhaps, like, they’re aggressive, we sort of go at it. They’re like, Oh, you’re really like, very nice and enjoyable to be round. I’m like, duh. Why can’t I be aggressive on the court docket and why can’t all of us hang around after? I wish to change that narrative for females that it’s OK to compete, it’s OK to play bodily. It’s alright to go on the market, work onerous and sweat after which nonetheless be a pleasant human and a special individual off the court docket, too. Like, we’re not going in opposition to highschool[ers] or something like that. These are one of the best folks on the earth, so that you gotta convey it proper.
I believe for me when Kah got here in, I didn’t assume two issues of it. I used to be simply so pleased that we had been getting one other badass participant on our staff that’s gonna assist us win a championship right here quickly. For me, I don’t take heed to all that noise.”
It’s what Cunningham brings to the staff that’s allowed her to solidify her position on the Mercury, whether or not she’s been beginning, or as is the case this season, primarily coming off the bench. It has earned her reward from legends like teammate Diana Taurasi, who as soon as described Cunningham to the New York Occasions as somebody who likes to “muck it up.”
“At any time when Sophie performs, the extent of the sport goes up. And , she’s achieved that persistently yearly she’s been on our staff. And that’s why she’s so essential to what we do,” DT stated, per The Subsequent in 2022. Years prior, she gave Cunningham recommendation about remaining true to herself, too. “You’ve been taking part in this sport ever because you had been a child,” Cunningham once recalled Taurasi telling her. “You know the way to play. I’ve seen you. You know the way to play, so simply go on the market and have enjoyable.”
Through the 2022 season, Cunningham dropped a career-high 23 factors in opposition to the Liberty as a starter in July, after which a couple of days later, adopted it up with a 36-point efficiency in opposition to the Lynx, together with seven boards and 5 steals, a historic stat line that made her solely the second participant in WNBA historical past to take action. The opposite? Cynthia Cooper in ‘97. Whether or not she’s dropping buckets, flattening photographs, or meting out dimes—like she did in her win in opposition to the Storm— her skill to adapt to regardless of the staff wants makes her a key element.
And because the WNBA continues to develop, and new followers tune in to observe not simply the Mercury, however throughout the League, there’s a sentiment that moments of competitiveness are private, or that vets are focusing on and/or jealous of the rookies. Cunningham stored it actual about all of this, and in an unique interview, we chopped it up with the star about conversations surrounding Caitlin Clark, her personal profession to this point, and her pursuits off the court docket as an analyst for the Suns, displaying out within the tunnel and extra.
WSLAM: Hey Sophie! How do you are feeling just like the season goes up to now? What was your mindset going into it?
Sophie Cunningham: You realize, since I’ve been in Phoenix, I’ve been right here occurring my sixth 12 months, it has been a curler coaster. I’m somebody who’s gonna shoot it straight that, like, it has not been essentially the most enjoyable years. I didn’t know if I used to be gonna go to a special staff a few these years simply because it’s identical to a lot drama was simply occurring. And so, once we bought this new possession, we bought a complete new entrance workplace, we bought a complete new teaching workers who’re completely simply phenomenal folks they usually do issues the fitting manner they usually’re all about ensuring us ladies have the identical issues as our brothers on the Suns do.
I simply love their method to every thing and after I noticed, the roster that we bought, I used to be like, All proper, we’re gonna be legit this 12 months. With that generally folks’s egos get hit somewhat bit—I’ve been beginning the previous two or three years, however I knew that I’m gonna have 4 or 5 Olympians on our staff. So I’m like, what, I’m right here to win, I’m right here to compete. I’m hopeful to be an Olympian someday, perhaps the three×3 staff. So, why would I not wish to encompass myself with individuals who have been the place I wanna go? So, for me, my position does look somewhat totally different. I’m coming off the bench this 12 months, however after I let you know, it’s simply a lot enjoyable to be on this staff.
It has been like one of the best expertise and everybody’s simply genuinely, actually good folks.
WSLAM: What’s the vibe and power of the staff?
SC: Oh my God, we’ve got a lot power. Now we have a whole lot of personalities [and] everybody’s simply goofy. I do know that we play basketball, however after I say that we chuckle 24/7, [it] in all probability appears like an excessive amount of generally as a result of like, hey, I’ll want to love dial it in somewhat bit. It’s enjoyable although as a result of we do compete at such a excessive degree, however proper when the ball stops, we’re all identical to goofing round having a great time.
WSLAM: Out of your perspective, how has your sport developed through the years and what have you ever discovered?
SC: I believe there’s a whole lot of discuss our League proper now, which I completely love…I believe we’ve got a whole lot of eyes and a spotlight on our League, and I’m simply pleased to be part of it throughout this time. I believe the highschool, faculty soar is very large, however the faculty to the professionals is even 20 occasions extra that. So, I believe the primary couple of years, you sort of have to seek out your ft. There’s some individuals who can go into the League they usually have the inexperienced gentle instantly and the balls of their hand 24/7. You see them sort of take off lots sooner, whereas [for me], I used to be DT’s sub for almost all of my profession. I lastly labored my manner into the beginning lineup about two or three years in the past, so [I] positively was very persistent, was a whole lot of ups and downs. It was a thoughts sport at some factors.
For me, I simply had to ensure I stayed prepared and truthfully, I discovered that from DT. She’s the last word professional, she’s the GOAT of our sport. Simply the way in which that she goes about her on a regular basis exercise to change into higher every day and generally that’s not doing something and it’s a psychological day. I believe I’ve actually really have discovered from the perfect. And, for me, I’m seeing [in] my profession that the extra I stack the times the higher I change into.
WSLAM: You’re a participant that folks have talked about for some time when it comes to being tremendous bodily. For brand spanking new followers, there’s a false impression that that fashion of play may be very particular and focusing on one individual. What’s your perspective on that?
SC: You sort of hit it on the pinnacle as a result of to be trustworthy, I believe that there are a whole lot of new eyes, however with that, there’s lots of people who’re uneducated about our League.
You see lots of people within the public eye on the lads’s aspect sort of having Caitlin Clark’s again, too, which is sort of shocking simply because they know the way bodily our sport has at all times been. However after I let you know that the narrative that we’re all in opposition to Caitlin or the vets in opposition to the rookies that must be squashed as a result of it’s not like that. I promise you, it’s not like that. I’ve had my jaw damaged, I’ve damaged a finger, I’ve damaged my nostril. Everybody has tales of how bodily this League actually is and I believe that’s the important soar that folks don’t perceive.
It’s like, her talent degree will come, every thing else will come; the rookies generally. Nevertheless it’s the physicality that folks actually should get used to. And so for me, I don’t assume anybody’s being focused. If something, I believe we have to give her somewhat little bit of grace generally as a result of she has lots on her plate and a whole lot of eyes on her. However with that, I believe that is gonna be actually good for her. She’s gonna be nice. I believe the rookie class is gonna be phenomenal for our League as soon as they get that physicality factor sort of labored out. It takes somewhat little bit of time [but] they’re gonna be simply effective.
For me, I’ve at all times been a bodily participant. Coming into the League, I used to be really somewhat bit shocked of how bodily it was as a result of I assumed I used to be bodily. However after I let you know, it doesn’t matter how large, how tall you might be, everybody is robust and bodily on this League and also you higher convey it in any other case it’s gonna look perhaps dangerous.
WSLAM: Talking of physicality, what has it been like teaming up with somebody as aggressive as Kah? Is that this the primary time that you simply guys have actually been round one another?
SC: Yeah, it’s positively like the primary time that we’ve been round [each other]. We’ve at all times competed and I believe that any time you place individuals who compete at that degree and sort of have that canine and that, that sort of like shit about him somewhat bit that it’s gonna be sort of attention-grabbing to see how they really staff up.
However after I say it’s me, Kah, DT. You’ve got [Natasha] Cloud. All 4 of us, we’ve got somewhat little bit of one thing to us and so to truly put all of us on the identical staff, it’s been so enjoyable as a result of now we simply hype one another up. I really feel dangerous for groups like they haven’t even seen one of the best of us but. Kah’s been killing it. She has completely been killing it. She’s a canine and I’m simply pleased that she’s on my staff to be trustworthy.
WSLAM: You’re simply as outspoken off the court docket, too. However you’ve additionally been displaying out within the tunnel this 12 months. Are you able to discuss your sense of favor?
SC: You realize what? To be trustworthy, I do love style however I sort of wish to hold it easy, too. The style style, it’s not my vibe. I believe I simply wouldn’t look good in it. I believe the rationale why we’re bringing the tunnel suits this 12 months—it’s been a piece within the course of. I additionally assume the more cash you get, the extra you’re in a position to do what you need, too—[but it] being Yr 6 and simply final 12 months, they had been getting higher.
However this 12 months I wished them to be actually good as a result of – the quantity of eyes. I’m telling you, the advertising and marketing, it’s the finest time to be within the W proper now. And so why would you not sort of present out somewhat bit in these style suits?
WSLAM: We’re right here for it! You’re additionally actually into broadcasting as nicely. Are you able to speak extra about how you bought into that and what it’s like showcasing your character and pursuits exterior of the sport?
SC: I’ve a whole lot of passions and a whole lot of loves exterior of basketball. I believe that’s how I’m in a position to get pleasure from basketball nonetheless as a result of I’ve that steadiness. I don’t go abroad, I make it up in advertising and marketing cash via endorsements. After which, I used to be simply blessed with an incredible alternative that the Suns wanted a broadcaster. I’ve by no means actually achieved it in my life. I’ve at all times been on the opposite aspect of the digital camera, however I’m like, I might speak to all for 10 hours. This may’t be that tough. And so, I really ended up doing it two years in the past and that was extra simply in-studio, pre, half and put up sport, interviewing a few of the guys and I actually cherished it. It’s lots tougher than it seems, too. Once I watch video games now I’m listening to the broadcaster.
I’m making an attempt to study this 12 months [and] I bought to do in-studio and shade commentating and I simply fell in love with it. To look at these guys carry out on the degree they do [and] to see the sport sort of break down and be simplified, but additionally so difficult on the identical time. It was simply fascinating to me.
I bought to sort of change into actually shut with our proprietor and our CFO and so I’ve gotten to truly study the enterprise aspect of sport, too. I’m turning right into a nerd. I’ve by no means been a nerd…however I’ve actually discovered it fascinating this previous 12 months.
I’d like to get into broadcasting [when] I’m achieved. However then once more, I’d like to be an island lady in some way and receives a commission for that. I don’t even know what I wish to do with my life [laughs]. So, we’ll see.
Images through Getty Photos.
