My favorite Mizzou memory of Sophie Cunningham isn’t any of the huge wins in front of huge crowds or any of the unflappably clutch shots (though the one with 0.6 seconds left to beat South Carolina was particularly bonkers). It was after a particular home game, in which the Columbia native and star hooper sat to sign autographs. The line was impossibly long. And as kids approached her, you could see some of their eyes enlarge, as if they couldn’t actually believe who they were meeting.
Cunningham is a basketball legend at Mizzou (she averaged 17 points per game in her four-year career) and this week she enters her sixth WNBA season (all with the Phoenix Mercury). Last season, she started every game the team played and averaged 11.3 points . I caught up with Cunningham, 27, by phone to hear about her career, her famous teammates and a certain famous opponent she’ll face this WNBA season.
Q: You have carved out a really nice career so far. What have been some keys to your success as a pro basketball player?
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A: To be honest, it has not been easy. It’s taken a lot of perseverance and trust from God that I’m getting better every day and doing what I’m supposed to be doing. But it's been really fun. I think I've gotten a lot better, I've learned how to become a leader. I think I've made a name for myself in the league — but I'm not satisfied. I really do feel like I'm just getting started, though. Like, I feel like I have another 10 years to me and I feel I'm starting to hit my prime a little bit, which is actually a lot of fun.
Q: What have been some of the broadcasting experiences you’ve had — is that a goal for your post-playing career?
A: The (NBA's) Phoenix Suns knew I know the game. And I'm glad my mom made me not sound so dumb while growing up! She graduated from the journalism school (at Mizzou). But the Suns just asked me to come and do their pregame show, halftime and postgame show. And then in my second year with the Suns, which was this past season, I actually got to do a little bit of color commenting — and I absolutely loved it. So I think I'm just getting my feet wet and trying to figure out maybe what I want to do when I'm done. I think I have some time, but I really do love it.
Q: The women’s game really has grown in popularity to the average sports fan — what does that mean for the women’s game going forward?
A: Man, I think there are a lot of eyes on the league right now. And it's just a fun time to play in 'The W.' I think we've always had the talent, but now we have the platform, where people are allowed to view us. And I think there are a lot of people before this rookie class that kind of set the tone and trailblazed the way. But this rookie class, man, they have a lot of people who are invested — and with them coming into 'The W,' we have a lot of new fans. So it's important for 'The W' to capitalize on that. But it's also important for us to individually capitalize on it, through different endorsements and through getting new fans who we can be personal with. So I just think it's super-exciting.
Q: What does Caitlin Clark (who will play her first WNBA game Tuesday for Indiana) mean to the women’s game?
A: I think she's a phenomenal athlete. She had a great college career. I think with any athlete, when it comes to a transition year, there are going to be growing pains. I think that she'll see that, but she's so great that it won't matter. I think she's going to do a lot of good things for our league. So I'm actually excited for her. I'm excited to play against her.
Q: You have the honor of playing with a couple legends on the Phoenix team. First with Diana Taurasi, can you share what your relationship is with her — and her role in your life?
A: You know, we’ve had a really cool bond and his past offseason, this is the closest we've ever been. And it's been absolutely phenomenal. I think 'Dee' she's such a pro, that I'm just trying to be a sponge and soak it up. But I also want to be a friend and a sister, and I really do think that our relationship is going in that direction. It's just been so fun to get to know her outside of basketball, pick her brain. She’s funny as hell. A lot of people know how (serious) she is on the court. But when you really get to know 'Dee,' she has a huge, huge heart. She's a great human. And so together, man, we can burn down a building, so watch out!
Q: Do you and Taurasi go to certain types of restaurants together?
A: She’s vegan and so we have to go to places that suit her. And I’m over here eating a big steak right in front of her!
Q: Brittney Griner is a future Hall of Famer, as is Taurasi. From a basketball standpoint, what's it been like playing with someone of that ability?
A: She has been one of my favorite people. I think sometimes she gets a bad rap and she knows she's made mistakes. But to be her teammate and get to know her personally, she’s one of the funniest, down-to-earth people you'll meet. To be her teammate and to kind of see and be a part of our career, it's been pretty freakin’ awesome. … BG has had a rough couple of years, but she's in a great mindset. She is about to be a parent. And it's been really fun to kind of become really close with her, as well.
Q: What have you learned from Griner about her experience and perseverance while being imprisoned in Russia?
A: She's so good about it. We don't say she was in prison, we say she was on ‘vacation.’ Just her humor about it. I'm like: ‘B, your life is just goofy.’ If you really understood everything that she has been through since she was little, I think a lot of people would give her a little bit more grace. But she's just a fighter. I think that she's learned a lot with some of the mistakes she's made. But I also think that she's a great human — a lot of people are quick to judge her, but when people actually get to know her, they see that she's, like, the most-loving human that you'll ever meet.
Q: Finally, you give back, notably to the Columbia community. What do you do and why?
A: I wanted to give back to a community and my hometown that's given not only myself, but my sister and my family, so much. We wanted to give back to these other girls coming up and people in the surrounding areas. Our family puts on this tournament every year (a three-day event called the Sophie Cunningham Classic). And we make it all about being a (tough player) on the court, but also empowering young girls to be awesome women in the work world.
It's been super fun. It's actually starting to blow up. We don't know how that happened but after the last day of the tournament, we had over 800 teams reach out, wanting to be a part of it this upcoming year. Crazy! And from all over the country, too. And so, it's been really cool to try to keep the talent from the Midwest in the Midwest. We have a lot of the top-25 players and top-25 teams in the country as part of it. And I do think that this thing will maybe become one of the best girls tournaments in the country in a couple years.