Why Sophie Cunningham Already Considers Caitlin Clark the Face of the WNBA

The Indiana Fever massively re-tooled their roster ahead of the 2025 WNBA season. After making the playoffs in 2024 for the first time since ’16, the team made a handful of meaningful additions in order further build around Caitlin Clark and help the team contend for a championship this coming season.

Among the new faces in Indiana is former Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham, who was acquired by the Fever via a trade in February.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated as part of a partnership with Quest Nutrition, Cunningham noted that she thinks Clark has already become the face of the WNBA.

“I think that she is gonna be the face of our league––I think she already is. She’s gonna be one of the biggest names to ever grace our sport, and, you know what, I love that for her,” said Cunningham.

“But she’s still young right? So, there’s so many things that she doesn’t know. I know she’s gonna take care of how she plays and what she does on the court and how she trains, and how she’ll be the most elite level player she could possibly be… I know that she has a lot of people, but it’s the experience that matters, especially during the playoffs. And so, I think that’s kind of why they brought the puzzle pieces that they did into this group.”

Cunningham noted that she feels the offseason moves the Fever made will help surround Clark with experienced talent who can help the team compete in playoff scenarios. In addition to Cunningham, the Fever added veterans such as Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sydney Colson, among others.

“You have everyone who’s hungry for winning, who’s willing to put away the egos and go and do their thing and make sure that their teammates are as confident, and thriving as much as they are personally. And so, you know, for me, it’s just whatever she needs, I’m gonna be there for.”

Asked about a previous comment in which she jokingly said that she would come to Indiana and be “the Sabrina Carpenter to [Caitlin’s] Taylor Swift,” Cunningham said that she feels playing with Clark will elevate everyone’s game around her, similarly to how Swift helped uplift Carpenter into a national spotlight.

“She is the Taylor Swift. She is gonna go do her thing. She is gonna go kill it whatever she does. And I’m just gonna be the Sabrina Carpenter over here in the background, you know, and be supportive in any way that is possible,” Cunningham said. “But I also, wanna give her a shout out that I think anyone that she plays with, she uplifts, she makes them better. Her IQ, the way that she leads her team, the way that she plays the game. She just makes everyone rise to the occasion.”

The Fever’s season tips off on May 17 when they host the Chicago Sky at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, at which point fans will get to see the new-look team in action in a regular-season setting for the first time.