Sitting courtside in the Indiana Fever’s 87-85 win over the Atlanta Dream, Sophie Cunningham couldn’t contain herself anymore. With a little over four minutes left in the third quarter, Odyssey Sims was making her way downhill after a steal from Naz Hillmon. However, as she went for a layup, Allisha Gray quickly slapped the ball away, knocking her opponent hard to the ground in the process. “The way she landed was really, really hard,” a commentator remarked. Expectedly, Cunningham made her way to center court, followed by Caitlin Clark to check up on their teammate. But it wasn’t that easy.

As the game stopped to review a possible upgrade to a flagrant foul, a police officer stepped in front of the two approaching stars. She motioned for them to step back. While both Clark and Cunningham did stop, the latter took it up a notch further, gesturing that she’d stay right where she was. Although she didn’t say anything more back then, it’s clear that the star isn’t going to back down during their next clash vs the Las Vegas Aces. During the September 19 episode of her ‘Show Me Something‘ podcast, Cunningham confessed, “I’m there just to kind of talk some s— to the refs, talk some s— to the other team, really pour into my teammates for real. Like I want them to be confident because that’s when everyone’s at their best, and it’s just more fun.”

Further, talking about how being present on the bench has been helpful, she added, “I think it’s something that’s been actually huge…Like just having the voice and just doing reminders and really just pouring confidence into people. Because at this point, everyone knows what the other team can do. And now it’s just like mentally making sure that we’re there.”

“With that said, we are going into a very crazy environment with the Aces. They have been on a heater… We have a tough task ahead of us. But I will say, we’re the underdogs. The pressure is all on them. And so, I think how we defended, the things we did in the regular season, is going to be huge. And then now we just have so many new players that like a lot of people haven’t seen in a long time… I’m actually kind of feeling good about it and excited for it,” the Fever enforcer then added.

Notably, in the regular season, the Fever have overshadowed the Aces twice in their three showdowns. One was a 10-point win, while the other was a 27-point thrashing. Las Vegas did manage in their first clash this season. However, it was a close call with a 3-possession win of 81-89. Additionally, the team has managed to somewhat shut down A’ja Wilson, too. The Aces’ marquee player was still able to score against the Fever with an average of 24.3 points in their three matchups, but Boston and Howard were holding their guard under the rim. The South Carolina alum’s rebounds were reduced from a regular season average of 10.2 to only 5.3 when she played against the Fever.

However, with almost a new Indiana roster facing the Aces, it can go sideways really quickly. It will all depend on how Fever navigates through strategies and puts defensive stops on A’ja Wilson. And through it all, the injured Indiana bench, led by Sophie Cunningham, will be there to cheer them on. Interestingly, she’s found another way to keep Fever hopes up, although in a bit of an NSFW way.

Sophie Cunningham shares cheeky Indiana Fever story

During the podcast, Cunningham revealed that she often gets bizarre fan mail. The latest one included a request from someone who wanted her to autograph blown-up bikini photos and send them back for display at his workplace. Instead of entertaining the idea, Cunningham decided to flip the script. She explained that she collected those photos herself and turned them into a gag gift for the Fever staff, complete with handwritten notes.

From the CEO to the GM, no one was spared from the surprise. “I gave our president, and CEO, and GM one that’s like, kind of spicy. And they have no idea that it’s coming, and it’s gonna be hilarious.” Cunningham joked that it was her way of leaving a lasting impression after a wild season. “So I might not be in the league next year, but at least I had a hell of a year this year, ya know?”

Well, that Cunningham did, for sure.