Sophie Cunningham isn’t one to sugarcoat things, and her latest comments are making everybody wonder why. After a heated 90-65 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, the Indiana Fever star let loose on the rivalry that’s been simmering since her trade from the Valley.
With the Fever looking a little more than just strong, their star performers are keeping it real, be it taking down the opponents or addressing the rivalry.
Sophie Cunningham Honestly Addresses Mercury Rivalry
Indiana is eyeing a confirmed birth to the playoffs, and that for a fact what they can expect. Despite missing out on their rookie phenom Citlin Clark, the Fever have her ‘enforcer’ welcoming rivals with open arms.
Recently, Cunningham didn’t hold back when asked about facing the Mercury. What she did was go all in and put things open and clear with no strings attached.
“Played the old team. There was some, maybe a little bit of beef, because of our last podcast. Our teams don’t really like each other anyway… her leaving, some of those players used to be under our coaching staff. So there’s just a lot there,” she said of former teammate DeWanna Bonner and the Mercury in an Instagram video.
However, Cunningham’s been a spark for Indiana, but her return to Phoenix brought back old tensions. The rivalry deepened when Bonner, her former teammate, left the Fever mid-2025 season for personal reasons before joining the Mercury. Cunningham’s raw honesty in a postgame interview peeled back the layers on a beef that’s more personal than most realize.
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Sophie Cunningham Still Rooting For Bonner
While she did not hesitate to speak her heart out, Cunningham has no bad blood for her ex-teammate. However, Bonner’s exit, after just nine games with Indiana, left a mark. She stepped away in June, citing personal reasons, and the Fever released her, paving her return to Phoenix, where she’s now engaged to Alyssa Thomas.
Cunningham, who played with Bonner in Phoenix from 2019-2024, felt the sting, calling it unprofessional on her podcast, urging a simple goodbye text to teammates. Despite all this, she’s still rooting for her.
“I’m still rooting for her, I want her to be happy. But I also think it’s okay to be professional about it, send a text to your teammates. ‘Hey guys, sorry this didn’t work out, good luck, etc.’ There’s a way to handle that, I think,” Cunningham added.
Sophie Cunningham spoke on DeWanna Bonner's stint in Indiana.
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However, the next matchup between the two would be worth watching.