Long before Sophie Cunningham entered the spotlight as the Indiana Fever’s “enforcer,” she was grinding like everyone else at the Phoenix Mercury. The higher edge: Cunningham had the perfect opportunity to play alongside Diana Taurasi, dubbed by many as the greatest to do it.
Cunningham’s career saw her play six years with Phoenix, soaking up everything she could under Taurasi’s mentorship. However, the time came that the three-time champion, at 40, had to retire after a legendary 20-year career, and in turn, saw Sophie find a new home: the Fever, where she would be a part of an energetic, youthful team led by Caitlin Clark.
With Clark often hailed as the next WNBA great, fans couldn’t help but compare her to Taurasi. Speaking on Thursday, Sophie Cunningham finally weighed in on the said conversation, and her answer was crystal clear. Despite Cunningham’s positive view of Clark, she never shied away from saying that Taurasi, her GOAT, remains miles ahead of the star guard.
“DT will always be my GOAT,” Cunningham said. “I’ve never met someone who thinks the game how she thinks. The way that she was a pro in doing her weights, her rehab. I’ve just never seen anything like that. But the way that Caitlin thinks of the game, that’s a really close second.”
Sophie talking to media pregame about the similarities between DT and CC. pic.twitter.com/HqKidj3Jx0
— ericaf455 (@ericaf455) August 8, 2025
Still, Sophie Cunningham isn’t caught up in the comparisons. Instead, she sees herself as one of the players lucky enough to witness two greats in her career–Taurasi, the polished legend, and Clark, the rising phenom.
“They’re always ten plays ahead of everyone,” Cunningham added. “They’re always on a whole different wavelength. I’m just happy that I got my time with DT. But it’s been fun to be a sponge and then, kind of talking with Caitlin… She’s at the beginning of her professional career, but there are a lot of similarities.”
Sophie Cunningham was stellar in her return to Phoenix
Sophie Cunningham didn’t just return to Phoenix on Thursday—she stormed in like she owned the place. The former Mercury guard dropped a season-high 18 points on a near-perfect 6-of-9 shooting night, tacking on two boards and two dimes in 26 minutes. Safe to say, she came ready.
And honestly? She was the only Fever player who did.
Cunningham showed up big while the rest of Indiana got smothered. Aliyah Boston couldn’t breathe. Kelsey Mitchell couldn’t get going. The Mercury made sure to silence everyone—except Sophie. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Phoenix ran Indiana straight off the court, 95–60, as revenge for their last loss.
Still, if you’re a Fever fan, there’s a small win here: Sophie Cunningham’s cooking. And if she keeps playing like this, the next one might actually show up on the scoreboard.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
