Sophie Cunningham may be stuck on the sidelines with a knee injury, but her heart’s still all in for the Indiana Fever as they charge through the 2025 WNBA playoffs. After their stunning Game 3 upset over the Atlanta Dream, Cunningham’s been leading the cheer squad from the bench.
Much to the team’s own good, Cunningham recently revealed a silver lining despite a season-ending injury. And soon after that, she got a big boost when Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen gave the Fever some love.
Sophie Cunningham Hypes Up Indianapolis Colts HC For Stephanie White Praise
Undoubtedly, there was doubt about the Fever coming towards the mighty WNBA Playoffs Round 1. But the thrilling Game 3 victory sent them to the semifinals. Apart from the whole team clapping for each other, the Indian HC had fans from across other sports as well.
When the Colts’ HC Shane Steichen stepped to the mic on Friday, he couldn’t help but tip his hat to the Fever’s clutch 87-85 win over the Atlanta Dream the night before.
“Shoutout to the Fever and coach [Stephanie] White for getting it done last night and moving on. Obviously, they’ve been through some adversity with some injuries, and it’s the next person up for them,” he said.
Though it was Cunningham who aught wind of it and lit up. Soon after, the Fever star guard retweeted the video with a thankful comment.
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“wait this is so cool! love you are reppin’ the Fever Girlies coach,” Soph wrote.
wait this is so cool! love you are reppin’ the Fever Girlies coach 🤠🤩💅 https://t.co/fAxjHdO28u
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) September 20, 2025
However, Steichen’s nod hit home because the Fever’s been battling without stars like Cunningham, Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, Chloe Bibby, and Damiris Dantas, yet still managed a 24-20 regular season and a 2-1 series upset over the No. 3-seeded Dream. Kelsey Mitchell’s 24 points, including 3-of-6 from deep, and Aliyah Boston’s game-winning layup off an Odyssey Sims pass with 7.4 seconds left sealed the deal in Atlanta.
Sophie Cunningham Was All Over The Court For Indiana Fever Despite Injury
Despite all this, Cunningham’s been a spark plug for the Fever, even with her season-ending MCL tear keeping her out since August. Before the injury, she was a first-time All-Star, averaging 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds with her trademark hustle.
Off the court, she’s been just as loud, hyping teammates from the bench and going viral for moments like Cunningham’s tense standoff with a police officer while checking on Sims during Game 3’s foul review.
Now, the Fever face the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, a daunting task against A’ja Wilson’s squad, fresh off her fourth MVP award and an 18-game win streak. But with Cunningham leading the vibes and Indy’s sports community, the Fever’s got the fight to make some noise.