Sophie Cunningham says the Indiana Fever have gone from a team that barely drew a crowd to one of the biggest attractions in the league, a change she believes reflects how much the WNBA has grown in a short time.
Cunningham, who re-signed with Indiana in April, said that when she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019, the Fever had “about 200 fans.” Her point was not just about attendance. It was about how different the franchise felt before Caitlin Clark arrived and helped transform Indiana into the WNBA’s most-watched franchise this season.
From rebuilding team to must-see stop
Cunningham described the early version of the Fever in blunt terms, saying it was a place where “people went there to catch up on sleep.” She said players used to want to get through the game and leave, but the atmosphere has flipped completely. “Now, that’s the place you want to play,” she said, adding that every arena now feels like that when Indiana is involved.
That change tracks with the Fever’s recent history. Indiana won a championship in 2012 and had decent success in the Tamika Catchings years, but the two seasons before Clark arrived were arguably the worst in franchise history. Since then, the spotlight has only intensified. Clark’s arrival in the 2024 draft class brought more attention to the Fever, and Cunningham said the team’s visibility has grown along with it.
What the new spotlight has changed
The rise has changed more than just the crowd size. Cunningham pointed to more TV exposure, private flights and added security as signs of a franchise operating in a completely different environment. She also noted that Indiana is now a place players want to play, which is a major shift for a team that recently struggled to attract the same level of interest.
Cunningham has also played her part on the floor. This season, she ranked seventh in the WNBA in three-point shooting at 41.9 percent and third in points per scoring attempt at 1.31. That kind of production makes her a useful fit for a team that has to manage both expectations and attention every night.
Indiana’s season ended with a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3, followed by front-office changes that included Amber Cox being fired and Kelly Krauskopf stepping down. Even with that uncertainty, Cunningham’s comments captured the bigger picture: the Fever are no longer a forgotten stop. They are now one of the league’s main events, and the shift has been dramatic enough for even veteran players to notice.
“I couldn’t love them more,” Cunningham said.
