SerpApi.Org
Sophie Cunningham had every right to let the moment slide. Instead, she called herself out before anyone else could.
The Indiana Fever guard is set to face the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, closing out play before the WNBA All-Star break. To promote the matchup, Indiana’s social media team posted an action shot of Sophie Cunningham finishing at the rim, captioning it, “last one before the All-Star break.”
There was just one problem. Sophie Cunningham remembered exactly how that shot actually ended.
Sophie Cunningham Reacts To Fever’s Awkward Promo Photo Choice
The graphic made it look like a routine finish at the basket. It was not.
“I believe I smoked the heck out of this layup,” Sophie Cunningham wrote in the comments. “Hahaha oops.”
Most players would have stayed quiet and let fans assume the shot went in. Sophie Cunningham did the opposite. She flagged her own miss before anyone else noticed, and it worked exactly the way her online presence usually does.
Fans ate it up. What started as a simple game promo turned into another reminder of why Sophie Cunningham has become one of the more entertaining follows in the league.
One missed layup barely registers next to the season Cunningham is putting together.
She enters Wednesday averaging 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. The bigger number, though, is her 3-point percentage. Sophie Cunningham ranks second in the WNBA at 43.7 percent from deep, knocking down 1.8 triples per game on 4.1 attempts.
That efficiency was on full display over the last two weeks. She drilled six of seven 3-pointers for 20 points in Indiana’s 109-75 win over the Las Vegas Aces on July 12. Days later, she added 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc as the Fever blew past the New York Liberty, 108-88.
Defenses cannot leave her open anymore. Her floor spacing has become a real weapon next to Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, and it is part of why Indiana looks like a team building toward something bigger this season.
A missed layup is easy to forgive when the rest of the game plan is working. Cunningham has made herself one of the more reliable shooters in the league, and that matters far more than one blown finish at the rim.
Indiana wraps up the first half of its season against Connecticut before the league pauses for the All-Star break. If Cunningham gets another look at the basket before then, the Fever might finally get a promotional photo where the shot actually goes in.
