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"Suck it" – Sophie Cunningham hits back at The Athletic's call for Fever to ditch her

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham fired back at *The Athletic* columnist Candace Buckner after Buckner called for the team to release her, labeling Cunningham as "too combustible" to coexist with star Caitlin Clark. Cunningham, who completed her second season with the Fever averaging 7.9 points per game but shooting over 40% from three for back-to-back years, dismissed critics in a recent podcast interview, insisting her off-court statements—while controversial—don’t outweigh her on-court contributions.

She highlighted her league-leading bench scoring and top-five three-point shooting among reserves, along with a 60.8% effective field goal percentage, the fourth-best mark in the WNBA, as proof of her value beyond statistics. Meanwhile, trainer Drew Hanlen defended Cunningham’s production, arguing her skill set—including being the fourth-leading bench scorer in the league—makes her an asset for any team, not just a liability.

With Cunningham now a free agent after her one-year, $665,000 deal expired, the Fever face a critical offseason decision on whether to retain her alongside leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell, as Buckner suggested her talents might fit better with Chicago, Portland, or Toronto.

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