NBA Reacts to Sophie Cunningham's Hot Start in Fever Game

NBA Reacts to Sophie Cunningham's Hot Start in Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Sunday afternoon’s meeting between the 16-12 Indiana Fever and the 16-12 Seattle Storm tipped off as a toss-up in a crowded playoff chase.

Indiana leaned on Natasha Howard’s interior scoring and rebounding from the get-go, finishing with a game-high 21 points, while Seattle countered with balanced scoring from Nneka Ogwumike (16 points), Skylar Diggins (13 points) and Gabby Williams (12 points).

By the end of the third quarter, the Fever held a slim 58-54 advantage before closing out the game in the waning minutes, clinching the win by a narrow margin of 78-74.

However, the spotlight in the third quarter was stolen by Sophie Cunningham.

Cunningham drilled four consecutive triples to open the game, including two in the third quarter, and was a perfect 4-for-4 until her first miss came at the 3:50 mark in the third.

By the end of the period, she had totaled 17 points in 27 minutes, shooting 5-for-6 overall and 4-for-5 on 3's.

As Cunningham cashed her third straight three, she received a response from a somewhat unexpected source, the NBA, which chimed in: "Sophie off to a HOT start 🔥."

Sophie off to a HOT start 🔥 https://t.co/xw6l5MMH3w

— NBA (@NBA) August 3, 2025

From Columbia to the Pros: Cunningham’s Career Highlights

At the University of Missouri, Cunningham started all 129 games across four seasons, compiling 2,187 points, 701 rebounds and 390 assists.

She was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2016, a three-time first-team All-SEC selection from 2017-2019 and remains the program's all-time leader in points, minutes per game (32.5), offensive win shares (21.7), player efficiency rating (27.4) and free throw percentage (83.9%).

The Phoenix Mercury made her the 13th pick in the second round of the 2019 WNBA Draft and over six seasons in Phoenix, Cunningham averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.8 minutes per game.

Sophie Cunningham's 2025 Season

Now in her first season with the Fever, Cunningham has carved out a key role, replacing recent production lost with the injuries to Caitlin Clark. Coming into Sunday's contest, she was averaging:

• 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.
• 24.8 minutes per contest.
• 45.2% shooting from the field and 39.3% from 3-point range

With Indiana fighting for a playoff position, unexpected offensive bursts from role players like Cunningham can tip tight games in the Fever’s favor down the stretch.

Related: WNBA Team in Line for Punishment After Indiana Fever Game

Related: Lexie Hull Shares Honest Take on Playing Without Caitlin Clark

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.