The Indiana Fever came up way short of their goal of winning a WNBA championship this season.
The Fever were eliminated in the first round of the 2026 WNBA playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces in three games. They put up a valiant effort, but they were outlasted in Game 3 in Las Vegas.
Entering the postseason, the Fever appeared to have lost momentum after dropping to the No. 6 seed.
Sophie Cunningham on What ‘Hurt’ Fever Before Playoffs
On a recent episode of her No Hesitations podcast with Drew Hanlen, Sophie Cunningham put part of the blame on the FIBA World Cup break for the Indiana Fever’s slide in the final four games of the regular season.
“We were so good, and it was so much fun,” Cunningham said. “The squad really loved each other. I don’t want to say this. I think FIBA kind of hurt our momentum a little bit. Maybe we peaked too soon, maybe we peaked to late. But we really did have a hell of a year, and I had so much fun.”
The Fever were 8-2 in their last 10 games before the FIBA World Cup break. They went 2-2 in the final four games of the regular season, which caused them to drop from the No. 4 spot to the sixth seed.
Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and coach Stephanie White were part of Team USA that won gold medal at the World Cup in Germany.
Fever Told to Move on From Cunningham
Sophie Cunningham is set to become a free agent this offseason, though she’s not a top priority since Kelsey Mitchell‘s contract is also expiring.
The Athletic’s Candace Buckner encouraged the Indiana Fever to move on from Cunningham due to the complicated nature of personality and the distraction it may have caused during the season.
“This was the season when the Fever and even the whole Caitlin Clark experience took a backseat to a bench player with big opinions,” Buckner wrote. “So if the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team again and follow the lead of rivals openly clashing with the forces trying to hijack their league, then Cunningham has to go.”
Buckner was alluding to former NBA players Enes Freedom and Royce White attending WNBA games to cause a distraction.
While both players are trying to be supportive of women by being against transgender athletes entering the WNBA, there are no transgender athletes in the league at the moment.
As popular as Cunningham was with the Fever fanbase, it’s hard to argue that she caused at least a bit of distraction this season.
Sophie Cunningham Reveals What ‘Hurt’ Indiana Fever Before WNBA Playoffs