WNBA star Sophie Cunningham got brutally candid about her new contract with the Indiana Fever this week.
The Fever announced last week that Cunningham, 29, would be reuniting with friend and teammate Caitlin Clark for the 2026 WNBA season.
The guard agreed a new one-year deal with the Fever worth a reported $665,000 in the wake of the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
However, Cunningham did not appear impressed with her new payday as she opened up on the deal on her podcast.
When her ‘Show Me Something’ podcast co-host West Wilson asked her if the deal was better than she thought it would be with the new CBA, Cunningham almost immediately started shaking her head no.
‘Nope? Okay, sorry,’ Wilson said.
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham got brutally candid about her new contract on her podcast
The guard agreed a new one-year deal with the Indiana Fever worth a reported $665,000
‘It’s okay! No, it’s fine. It’s tough, because I came off an injury, and I haven’t been in front of any teams,’ Cunningham said.
‘I had a lot going on this offseason. I was fully cleared, they had all the doctors, they had the numbers and everything. But if you don’t get in front of these people, it’s like, “Hey, are you actually good?”
‘I’m not even gonna lie to you, though, it’s a little, kind of, frustrating. Because I’m someone who, I kind of shoot it straight. If I wasn’t feeling good or was hesitant, I think I would have said something and been honest. Because I’m just at the point in my career where I just want to win. I just want to win.
‘And so I’m not going to put my ego in front of things. And I know it is a business, but I just think I’m wired a little differently. I don’t know. I just want to win.’
Cunningham’s comments sparked backlash from fans on social media with some even going as far as to brand her ‘ungrateful.’
‘When you overhype yourself, you start to believe you can walk on water. She’s not worth a million plus, sorry,’ one harsh critic posted on X, responding to a clip of Cunningham’s verdict.
‘I’m confused because she’s getting paid this one year nearly as much as she did combined in her entire career yet she doesn’t think the new CBA affected her positively?’ questioned another.
‘The company you work for loses millions every year. Be grateful for what you have. 99% of people whose jobs actually matter wouldn’t have a job, or get a raise, if their company lost that much money. This is political correctness at its finest,’ claimed a third.
Despite reuniting with the Fever, Cunningham dd not appear impressed with her new payday
‘Then why did she sign the contract?’ asked a fourth.
‘Drop her. She is ungrateful,’ another fumed, tagging the Fever’s official X account. ‘We are trying to win now. Drop her before she becomes cancer.’
However, Cunningham hit back at the critics as she insisted she was not ‘mad about the money.’
‘I just wanted more years because I love it here,’ she wrote on X. ‘I wanted to get a house so I could bring my dog and donkey to Indy with me. That’s it. That’s the truth. I think we have something very special here in Indiana!!’
During the 2025 season, Cunningham averaged a career-high 43.2 percent from beyond the arc, proving to be one of the most reliable shooters in the WNBA.
She made 30 appearances for the Fever last season before suffering an MCL tear which cut her season short and cast doubt over her future.
Before joining Indiana, the 6-foot-1 guard spent six years with the Phoenix Mercury.
She holds a career scoring average of nearly nine points per game, though her impact often goes beyond the box score due to her vocal leadership on court.
