I’m way happier”: Sophie Cunningham makes feelings clear on Mercury and Fever on return to Phoenix

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham returned to Phoenix on Thursday for the first time since being traded to Indiana. Despite a tough 95–60 blowout loss against the Mercury, Cunningham took a subtle jab at her former team while expressing her appreciation for Indiana.

During the post-game press conference, Cunningham spoke to the media about the game and offered her thoughts on her return to the PHX Arena.

"Yeah, you know, AZ was good to me, but I'm way happier where I'm at now," Cunningham said. "It's good to see people, it was fun to play in front of some fans. But for me, I'm way happier in Indiana."

Cunningham was selected as the 13th pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Mercury and spent six seasons with the franchise. She made 182 appearances, averaging 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The guard also made 15 playoff appearances and helped them reach the WNBA Finals in 2021, where they lost to the Chicago Sky in four games.

Moved to the Fever in a four-team trade in January, Cunningham has quickly settled in Indiana. A fan favorite, she has played 26 of her team's 31 games this term, averaging 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, helping the Fever win their first Commissioner's Cup title in July.

Despite her positive run with the team, Cunningham was unable to lead the team to victory at her old stomping ground. She ended the game as the highest scorer, recording 18 points, two rebounds and two assists, while shooting 66.7% from the field.

Sophie Cunningham reacts to the Fever's mounting injuries after another name joins the list

The Fever have dealt with several injuries this season. Star Caitlin Clark has been a recurring name on the list and was joined by Sydney Colson before tip-off against the Mercury. The duo was joined by Aari McDonald on Thursday after the guard was taken to the locker room in the fourth quarter.

However, Sophie Cunningham remained unfazed by the mounting injuries and expressed her views on the topic during the post-game conference.

"I think we faced some adversity with some injuries this game," Cunningham said (Timestamp- 0:25 onwards). "But you know what? We're used to that. We've had that at the beginning of the year. This is just another hump that we're going to get over, and we're going to be okay,"

The Fever is likely to start with Lexie Hull and Cunningham in Colson and McDonald's absence.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash