• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  August 16, 1996

Sports are ingrained in Sophie Elizabeth Cunningham's life. The 6'1" guard for the Indiana Fever professional women's basketball team was born into a sports-minded family on Aug. 16, 1996. Her parents, Jim and Paula Cunningham, and several other family members participated in various sports at the University of Missouri. Jim Cunningham played football, as did one of Sophie's uncles and her grandfather, while her mother competed in track and field, and an aunt played basketball, according to the university. Sophie followed in their footsteps, as did her older sister Lindsey, after enjoying sports throughout childhood.

"I bleed black and gold to the core. It's part of the reason why I committed here in the eighth grade," Sophie Cunningham has said. "I didn't care who offered me; I knew I wanted to come here. I wanted to put women's basketball on the map, and that's exactly what our teams did." The Missouri women's basketball team played in the NCAA women's tournament each of the four years Cunningham played there. The Tigers also reached 11th place in the AP top 25 poll during the 2017-2018 season, which tied the third-highest team ranking in program history.

A native of Columbia, MO, Sophie Cunningham was introduced to sports at an early age. When she was six, she jokingly received a black belt in taekwondo from her parents, who were her instructors. She apparently dropped the sport immediately afterward. Cunningham became more serious about athletics in high school, starring on the girls' basketball and volleyball teams and scoring points for the football team at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia. Her opportunity to see action on the football field came when the team's starting kicker went down with a torn ACL. She made two out of four field goal attempts during her time with the team.

But basketball was her real love. Following high school graduation, Cunningham played women's basketball at the University of Missouri for four seasons and is the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,187 points, 527 free throws, and 238 three-pointers. In addition, she had 129 career starts and averaged 17 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

Cunningham has received numerous honors, per the University of Missouri Athletics:

• Induction into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame (class of 2025)

• SEC Freshman of the Year (2015-2016)

• McDonald's All-American (2015)

• SEC All-Freshman Team (2015-2016)

• ESPN (Women's) National Player of the Week (Feb. 20, 2017)

• AP All-SEC first team (2017, 2019)

• Coaches' All-SEC first team (2017, 2019)

• All-SEC Tournament Team (2019)

• Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year finalist (2019)

Upon graduating in 2019, Cunningham became the first player selected in the second round of the women's pro basketball draft. She was chosen by the Phoenix Mercury and played on the team from 2019 to 2024. She also signed with the Melbourne (Australia) Boomers in the winter and spring of 2019-2020, which is the offseason for the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

More recently, Cunningham joined the Indiana Fever as part of a multi-team trade during the WNBA offseason. She started 13 games and averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She shot 46.9 percent of her field goal attempts, 43.2 percent of her 3-point shots and had 29 steals for the season. But she missed the entire postseason after tearing the medial collateral ligament in her right knee and undergoing surgery. Cunningham's one-year contract with the Indiana Fever recently expired, and she is a free agent. But as of January 2026, she is in talks with the team and said she hopes to return.

The basketball star has become one of the most popular and well-known players in the WNBA. She is known as a tough, intense competitor, an enforcer, and a "high energy impact player." Cunningham earned the "enforcer" label after being ejected from a game for pulling an opponent to the floor by her hair. It seems the opponent had poked one of Cunningham's teammates in the eye, and Cunningham wasn't having it. The incident went viral.

She raised eyebrows again recently when she used a podcast to announce, "I have herpes. Don't kiss me." The truth was that she had a cold sore, aka herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). She said she apparently contracted the virus from using Chapstick that was passed around at a basketball tournament. She explained that cold sores may be transmitted through non-sexual contact.

Basketball fans seem to love her playing style and talent, and Cunningham's popularity has led to several brand endorsements with companies such as Arby's and Adidas. Additionally, she has served as a recurring sports analyst for the Phoenix Suns men's basketball team. She also co-founded the Sophie Cunningham Classic with her sister Lindsey and Norm Stewart, a legendary Missouri basketball coach. The event is a three-day high school basketball tournament that showcases top female players and teams from across the U.S. The tourney just marked its fourth year.

Is Sophie Cunningham Religious?

The women's basketball standout makes no secret of her devout Christian faith. She frequently posts faith-related messages on social media and has said that her talent is a gift from God. She prays to stay focused and "put(s) it in God's hands" during games. At the University of Missouri, she had a pregame faith-based ritual that included making the sign of the cross on her shoes, heart, forehead and knees and at the free-throw line. But certain other rituals were between her and God.

Cunningham believes her strength, intensity, competitiveness, confidence and success are gifts from God. And she uses the platform that basketball gives her to inspire others. She strongly believes in God's plan and purpose in her life and once posted these words: "'Everything happens for a reason' is not in the Bible, but 'God promises to work all things to the good for those who love him' is."

She recently posted a reminder that "Jesus is King. Remember to stay focused on what is true, right and just. Do not waiver (sic) in doing good. Be bold and courageous!"

Being a Christian in the WNBA can be difficult because fellow believers don't surround Christians, Cunningham has said. In this secular setting, she focuses on strengthening her faith and "staying in the Word."