SerpApi.Org
Sophie Cunningham has carved out a valuable role with the Indiana Fever by bringing energy, toughness and reliable shooting off the bench.
Now, she has a chance to make WNBA history.
Cunningham headlines a group of three players within striking distance of the 50-40-90 club at the midpoint of the 2026 season. The exclusive accomplishment requires a player to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line over an entire season.
Only Elena Delle Donne and Napheesa Collier have accomplished the feat in WNBA history. Cunningham, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell were identified by Swish Appeal as three potential candidates to become the third member of the club.
None currently meets all three requirements, but each is close enough to make the second half of the season particularly interesting.
Sophie Cunningham approaches historic shooting season
Cunningham has quietly put together one of the most efficient seasons of her career.
The Fever wing is averaging 9.4 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from beyond the arc and 89.4 percent at the free-throw line. All three percentages would represent career highs.
That leaves Cunningham only 1.6 percentage points short from the field and 0.6 percentage points away at the foul line. Her 3-point shooting is already comfortably above the required mark.
Reaching 50 percent from the field will present the biggest challenge. Cunningham takes a significant portion of her shots from the perimeter, where even elite shooters naturally make fewer attempts than players who operate primarily near the basket.
Only eight perimeter-oriented players who had appeared in at least 10 games were shooting 50 percent or better from the field at the time of Swish Appeal's report. Cunningham's relatively limited number of attempts could help her make up ground quickly, however. A few efficient performances could create a noticeable jump in her percentages.
She may not receive the same number of touches as Indiana stars Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston or Mitchell, but Cunningham has maximized the opportunities she gets. If that continues, she could turn a productive season into a historic one.
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Paige Bueckers already clears the hardest hurdle
Bueckers may have the most balanced path to the club. The Wings star is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 87.2 percent from the free-throw line. Unlike Cunningham and Mitchell, Bueckers has already cleared the 50-percent field-goal requirement.
Her challenge is finding modest improvement in the other two categories. Bueckers is attempting 4.5 shots per game from beyond the arc, giving her enough volume to raise her percentage with a strong stretch. She has already made considerable progress after shooting 33.1 percent from deep during her rookie season.
The free-throw line might be more difficult. Bueckers made 88.8 percent of her attempts last season but has slipped slightly during her second WNBA campaign. Still, a player shooting above 50 percent from the field while taking that many perimeter attempts cannot be dismissed. Bueckers has already established herself as one of the league's most polished young scorers, and the 50-40-90 club would provide another remarkable addition to her growing résumé.
Kelsey Mitchell faces one major obstacle
Mitchell is enjoying a career season for the Fever, averaging 23.3 points while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3-point range. The four-time All-Star needs only a small improvement to reach 50 percent from the field. Considering she is attempting a career-high 16.3 shots per game, getting there would be particularly impressive.
Mitchell's biggest problem is her 85.2-percent mark at the free-throw line. She has never reached 90 percent for a full season. Her career high was 88.2 percent in 2021, meaning she would need to produce the best free-throw stretch of her career during the second half.
It is a demanding assignment, but Mitchell is already having the most efficient high-volume scoring season of her career. Unlike Cunningham, Mitchell must protect her percentages while serving as one of Indiana's primary offensive options every night.
MORE: Caitlin Clark makes striking Sophie Cunningham admission amid Fever star's meteoric rise
WNBA's 50-40-90 club remains nearly impossible to enter
Delle Donne became the first WNBA player to post a 50-40-90 season in 2019. Collier became the second in 2025. It took more than two decades for the league to produce its first member, illustrating how difficult the accomplishment is. A player must combine accuracy at the rim, consistency from long distance and near-perfection at the foul line for an entire season.
Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles and Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young are among the other players close enough to enter the conversation with a dominant second half. Cunningham, Bueckers and Mitchell have the clearest paths right now, even if none has much room for error.
For Cunningham in particular, joining Delle Donne and Collier would represent one of the more unexpected historic accomplishments of the season. She entered the year as an important supporting player for Indiana. She could finish it as the newest member of one of basketball's most exclusive clubs.
