Sophie Cunningham exposes ugly truth behind WNBA contracts and salaries

Jeremy GoldsteinFri, July 17, 2026 at 3:15 PM UTC

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Sophie Cunningham is one of the biggest names in the WNBA -Credit:Getty Images

Sophie Cunningham has seen her contract with the Indiana Fever balloon from $100,000 last year to $600,000 this year after the WNBA codified a new CBA in the offseason.

Cunningham, now 29, has increased her brand name in recent years — particularly after joining Caitlin Clark on the Fever — as a means of maximizing her short shelf life in professional basketball and poor contracts in the league. Clark has recently returned from injury and has struggled a bit.

She has deals with the likes of Mad Hippie, Abry's, Skims, Spindrift, and Commerce Bank, and now boasts over three million followers on Instagram, up from under 500,000 around a year ago. Cunningham says this is all part of the plan to compensate for low salaries.

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“I am not ignorant," she said during a recent appearance on the 'Sons and Daughters of Dale Earnhardt Jr' show on Dirty Mo Media.

"I know that if you use this platform, you can, once the ball stops bouncing, you’re setting yourself up for success, and the players need to start doing that because we don’t make enough money. Even now, after the CBA, we don’t make enough money to retire and not do anything once we’re done."

Sophie Cunningham knows her relationship with Caitlin Clark has increased her brand value

Cunningham saw her fame initially skyrocket when she defended Clark in a bust-up against the Connecticut Sun midway through the 2025 WNBA season. She insists she didn't do it for the fame.

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"I didn’t do that for clickbait,” Cunningham told the New York Times last year. "I stand up for my teammates," and she wants to teach children to stand up and do that for their friends and for themselves.”

Sophie Cunningham is in her second season with the Fever

Her agency representative, Rishi Daulat, said "she was on a rocket ship from there," and cited how Cunningham landed a Ring security advertisement shortly after.

Caitlin Clark talking points

Cunningham's teammate Clark has once again become a frequent topic of conversation after a series of hard follows prompted multiple US representatives to send a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to protect Clark.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about the situation on Thursday. "Ultimately, the issues around Caitlin Clark are not largely about officiating," he said.

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"I have come to know Caitlin really well," Silver continued. "She's an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can."

"She has become a bit of a political football in this country, and I think it's incredibly unfair to her. I don't think that issue is ultimately about officiating. It's become political ping-pong with her. And she's a young woman who's trying to improve her game."

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Source: “AOL Sports”