Sophie Cunningham makes bizarre admission that her donkey fueled Fever contract ‘frustration’

Sophie Cunningham has set the record straight.

The outspoken Cunningham penned a one-year deal to return to the Indiana Fever for the 2026 WNBA season, worth an estimated $655,000, per Spotrac.

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However, Cunningham recently went on to express some disappointment over her new deal.

On her latest epsiode of the ‘Show Me Somthing’ podcast which she hosts alongside West Wilson, Cunningham revealed that her contract was not better than she thought it would be.

“It’s tough because I came off an injury and I haven’t been in front of any teams. I had a lot going on this offseason, and I was fully cleared, I had all the doctors, they had all the numbers, everything,” she said on her podcast.

“But if you don’t get in front of these people then it’s like, ‘Hey, are you actually good?’

“I’m not even gonna lie, that was kind of a little frustrating, because I’m someone who’s like, I kind of shoot it straight, where if I wasn’t feeling good or like I was hesitant, I think I would’ve said something and been honest.

“I’m just at the point in my career where I want to win.”

With her quote over being ‘frustrated’ going viral, albeit out of context, Cunningham – who is known as star teammate Caitlin Clark’s ‘enforcer’ on the court – jumped to her own defense on this occasion.

“I’m gonna shut this down right now. I’m not mad about the money…. I just wanted more years because I love it here,” she wrote in a post on X.

“I wanted to get a house so I could bring my dog and donkey to Indy with me. That’s it. That’s the truth. I think we have something very special here in Indiana!!”

Running it back

Last season was Cunningham’s first in Indiana after being traded from the Phoenix Mercury, where she spent the first seven years of her WNBA career.

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During her debut campaign at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the 29-year-old tallied 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a steal per contest, and was a hugely valuable contributor to the team.

Entering the 2026 offseason, the Fever only had three members of their roster contracted to the team.

However, they were able to retain their core players from last season’s success, in which they won the 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, by re-signing veteran Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull alongside Cunningham.

Indiana also saw Aaliyah Boston make history when she was given a four-year, $6.3 million extension – the richest deal in the league so far after four-time MVP A’ja Wilson’s three-year, $5 million deal with the Las Vegas Aces.

Fever star Clark is also expected to see her annual salary rise by six-times its current amount under the league’s new – and ‘transformational’ – Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

With ‘Tres Leches’ (Clark, Hull and Cunningham) back together and fully healthy again, following Clark’s injury-laden sophomore season, the Fever will no doubt be targeting the one thing that has evaded the franchise since 2012 – winning a WNBA championship.

Until then, Cunningham will likely be playing with a chip on her shoulder as she chases a multi-year contract, whether that be with Indiana or elsewhere, so she can give her dog, and her donkey, a long-term home.

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