The new WNBA collective bargaining agreement will raise players’ salaries for 2026 and beyond, but Sophie Cunningham isn’t thrilled with the contract terms she recently agreed to with the Indiana Fever as a free agent.
On the latest edition of her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham said that her new contract is “frustrating.” Cunningham signed a one-year, $665,000 deal to return to the Fever on April 12.
Co-host West Wilson said, “The Fever re-signed our good, close, personal friend Sophie Cunningham to a one-year contract.”
“It was close,” Cunningham responded. “It was close.”
“Can I be nosy right off the jump?” Wilson asked. “Given the changes in structure and money and all that, over the last few weeks, was the contract better than you thought it would be?”
Cunningham shook her head with disapproval.
“It’s tough because I came off an injury,” Cunningham said. “I haven’t been in front of any teams. Like, I had a lot going on this offseason. I was fully cleared… But if you don’t get in front of these people, then it’s like, ‘Hey, are you actually good?'”
“I’m not going to lie to you,” Cunningham continued. “It’s a little, kind of frustrating.”
“I’m just in the point of my career where I just want to win,” Cunningham elaborated. “So, I’m not going to put my ego and everything in front of things. And I know it is a business, but I think I’m just wired a little differently. I don’t know. I just want to win. And so, it was a little weird. But, you know what? I think this is a great wake-up call to not get comfortable. I think it kind of lit a fire under my ass even more.”
Cunningham, a six-year WNBA veteran, had her 2025 season cut short with a torn MCL that she suffered last August. She averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on a Fever team that included Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Cunningham is joining USA Sports as a special contributor for the 2026 WNBA season.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.