Sophie Cunningham Hits 'Pissed Off' Fever With Blunt Reality Check: 'We're Running Out of Time'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 7:46 PM ET

Sophie Cunningham isn't exactly a superstar for the Indiana Fever, but there's no denying that she brings a lot to the table for this team.

The 6-foot-1 guard joined the Fever in the offseason as part of a multi-team trade that included her former team, the Phoenix Mercury. It didn't take long for Cunningham's popularity among Indiana supporters to grow. The 28-year-old was then able to establish herself as a household name after she got ejected against the Connecticut Sun for supposedly retaliating on behalf of Caitlin Clark.

Apart from her talents on the basketball court, Cunningham's wealth of experience is also a crucial aspect of what she brings to the Fever. This includes sounding the alarm for the squad when necessary, which appears to be the case for Cunningham following the Fever's 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's practice, Cunningham rallied the troops by demanding some sense of urgency from the Fever.

"I think tomorrow night (against the Atlanta Dream) you're going to see a lot of fight where we're starting to get a little bit pissed off," she said. "And that's, I think, what we need. We need a fire under our butts.

"We should have had yesterday. They're a great team, the Valkyries, but it's not to our standards.

"So we're running out of time, to be honest, and I think that it's going to light a fire under our butts, and so hopefully you'll see kind of that energy shift tomorrow."

Sophie Cunningham on the #Fever needing to play with more urgency:

“I think tomorrow night you’re gonna see a lot of fight. We’re starting to get a little bit pissed off, and I think that’s what we need. … It’s not to our standard. We’re running out of time, to be honest. …” pic.twitter.com/bRHIVrmaMk
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 11, 2025

Cunningham is not the type who sugarcoats her words, and she was brutally honest with how Indiana played well below its standards in Wednesday's blowout loss.

She is now calling on the team to make a statement by bouncing back against the Dream on Friday. As she said, the Fever need to act with more urgency as they continue to struggle with consistency at this point in the season.

Entering Friday's matchup against Atlanta, the Fever are 9-10 and are eighth in the WNBA as they approach the midway point of the campaign.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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