Sophie Cunningham Net Worth

What Is Sophie Cunningham's Net Worth and Salary?

Sophie Cunningham is an American professional basketball player who has a net worth of $3 million.

Sophie Cunningham is best known as a guard for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, after beginning her professional career with the Phoenix Mercury. Known for her outside shooting, toughness, and outspoken personality, Cunningham developed from a second-round draft pick into one of the league's most recognizable role players and one of its more marketable personalities. She played college basketball at Missouri, where she became one of the most important players in program history and finished as the Tigers' all-time leading scorer.

After being selected by Phoenix in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Cunningham spent six seasons with the Mercury, helping the team reach the 2021 WNBA Finals and eventually becoming a full-time starter and respected veteran presence. Her profile rose sharply after she joined the Fever in 2025, where she became part of the league's most-watched team and built a much larger national fan base. In addition to her WNBA salary, Cunningham earns money from endorsements, media work, social media partnerships, and outside basketball opportunities.

Salary, Contracts & Career Earnings

Sophie Cunningham earned $100,000 for the 2025 WNBA season with the Indiana Fever, her first year with the franchise after spending the first six seasons of her career with the Phoenix Mercury. She joined Indiana in a multi-team trade ahead of the 2025 season and averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game before a right MCL injury ended her season before the playoffs.

After the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement dramatically increased player salaries beginning with the 2026 season, Cunningham re-signed with Indiana on a one-year deal. Her 2026 salary is listed at $665,000, up from $100,000 the previous season. That raise alone nearly doubled her documented WNBA career earnings. By the end of the 2026 season, her base WNBA salary earnings are roughly $1.3 million, before bonuses, endorsements, taxes, agent fees, and outside basketball income.

Cunningham has also signed with Project B, a new international women's basketball league scheduled to launch with tournament-style events outside the WNBA season. Reported Project B compensation for top players has been described as starting around $2 million annually, with signing bonuses and equity also part of the pitch. If that money is paid as reported, Cunningham's off-season basketball income could quickly exceed everything she earned from her first seven WNBA seasons combined.

Endorsements

Sophie Cunningham's endorsement profile expanded significantly after she joined the Indiana Fever and became one of the WNBA's most talked-about personalities. Her combination of toughness, fashion, social media reach, and connection to the Caitlin Clark-era Fever made her an unusually marketable role player. By 2025 and 2026, she had been linked to partnerships with brands including Adidas, Arby's, Ring, Quest Nutrition, Sun Cruiser, and European Wax Center.

Her Arby's partnership grew out of a viral "Hot Girls Eat Arby's" moment, while Ring used her "home court" protector persona in a promotional campaign. Quest Nutrition partnered with Cunningham in 2026 to promote new protein products and host a social-first competition series. Sun Cruiser also tapped her as its first athlete partner, citing her personality, authenticity, and large social following.

Cunningham's endorsement value is boosted by a social media audience that grew into the millions across TikTok and Instagram. Public sponsorship marketplace estimates have placed her potential value at tens of thousands of dollars for a single sponsored post, mid-five figures for appearances, and several hundred thousand dollars for larger ambassador-style campaigns. Based on those signals, her annual endorsement and media income is reasonably estimated in the mid-six figures, with upside into low-seven figures during especially active years.

She has also expanded into media. In 2025, Cunningham signed a podcast deal with The Volume to co-host "Show Me Something," and in 2026 she joined USA Network's WNBA coverage as a contributor. She also appeared in the 2026 "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit" issue, further broadening her profile beyond basketball.

(Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Early Life

Sophie Elizabeth Cunningham was born on August 16, 1996, in Columbia, Missouri. She comes from a deeply athletic family with strong ties to the University of Missouri. Her parents, Jim and Paula Cunningham, were both athletes at Missouri, and her older sister, Lindsey Cunningham, also played basketball for the Tigers.

Sophie attended Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, where she became a standout basketball player and one of the most decorated prep athletes in the state. She was a McDonald's All-American and one of the top recruits in the country before choosing to stay home and play for Missouri. Her decision helped turn her into a hometown star before she ever played a college game.

College Career

Cunningham played for the Missouri Tigers from 2015 to 2019 and quickly became the face of the program. As a freshman, she won SEC Freshman of the Year honors and immediately established herself as a scorer, shooter, and emotional leader. Over the next three seasons, she became one of the best players in the Southeastern Conference.

By the end of her college career, Cunningham had scored 2,187 points, making her the all-time leading scorer in Missouri women's basketball history. She also finished near the top of the program record book in free throws, three-pointers, scoring average, assists, and shooting percentage. She was a three-time First-Team All-SEC selection and earned All-America recognition as a senior.

Cunningham's college career was especially significant because she remained in her hometown and helped bring national attention to Missouri women's basketball. Her combination of scoring, physicality, and confidence made her one of the most popular athletes in school history.

WNBA Career

The Phoenix Mercury selected Sophie Cunningham with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft. She entered the league as the first pick of the second round and gradually carved out a role on a veteran team led by stars such as Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

Cunningham's early WNBA seasons were spent developing as a shooter and energy player. She appeared in 32 games as a rookie and continued to earn more responsibility in the following years. In 2021, she was part of the Mercury team that reached the WNBA Finals, giving her valuable playoff experience early in her career.

Her best statistical season with Phoenix came in 2022, when she averaged 12.6 points per game and became a regular starter. She followed that with another strong season in 2023 and remained an important rotation player in 2024, when she was often discussed as one of the league's most valuable bench contributors.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Cunningham was traded to the Indiana Fever as part of a multi-team deal. The move placed her on one of the most visible teams in the WNBA, alongside Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. Cunningham quickly became a fan favorite in Indiana because of her shooting, competitiveness, and willingness to embrace a supporting role on a team with championship ambitions.

Personal Life

In July 2025, Sophie was the subject of criticism after she questioned the WBNA's choices of new cities to expand to (Detroit, Philadelphia, and Cleveland). She stated, "You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play? Where are they gonna get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would have been a great one … Nashville's an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity." She then said that people might not be excited to go to the cities that the league chose. The City of Detroit tweeted in response, "The last time we were home to a WNBA team (Detroit Shock) we ranked top five in attendance for five straight seasons, No. 1 in attendance for three straight seasons and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals. Additionally, more than 775,000 people were excited to come to Detroit for the 2024 NFL draft. Detroit is a sports town. We're sure we'll see the same excitement for the WNBA returning."

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