Sophie Cunningham has been bouncing around this offseason, mixing rehab with a bunch of appearances, but she’s still finding ways to lift up her old Indiana Fever crew. Just a few days ago, she was literally carrying bags for Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull at The Annika Pro-Am Golf Tournament, playing the role of caddie and hype woman at the same time.
And on Monday, she shifted the love toward another teammate — this time Natasha Howard. The veteran forward had her jersey retired at Florida State, and Cunningham made sure the moment didn’t slide under the radar. She posted photos from the ceremony and kept her message short and sweet:
“Yes @natashahoward_6”
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Howard built a huge college résumé at FSU, staying four years from 2011 to 2014 and averaging 14.0 points, 8.1 boards, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks. She also shot a ridiculous 51.6%, numbers that still sit among the best marks in the program’s history.
She joined the Fever on a one-year deal worth $214,466 this past season, and now she’s in limbo waiting on her next contract. Indiana leaned on her heavily once injuries derailed everything — Cunningham tore her MCL, Clark hurt her groin — and Howard helped anchor the group as they fought their way to the semifinals before the Las Vegas Aces sent them home in five.
Now both Howard and Cunningham are sitting in the same spot, watching the CBA conversations play out while hoping the Fever front office shows its hand sooner than later.
Indiana Fever facing a tough free agency call with Sophie Cunningham and Natasha Howard
The upcoming WNBA free agency period already looks chaotic, and the Fever are right in the middle of it. Two of their biggest pieces — Cunningham and Howard — could easily be targets for teams with cap space and immediate needs.
Indiana has made it clear they want to keep the core that pushed through all that adversity last season. Even with Clark and Cunningham sidelined, the group showed enough toughness to go deep into the playoffs and hang with the eventual champions before running out of gas.
But the loyalty pitch only goes so far. Once the new CBA lands, salaries will shift, and both players know they’ve earned a raise. The Fever want continuity, but other teams will absolutely try to test how far that loyalty stretches.
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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.
