“Phoenix has become my home away from home” expressed Sophie Cunningham when her contract extension was publicly announced. But who could have imagined that a second-round pick in the 2019 WNBA draft would become a mainstay for this original W franchise? Well, that’s the story of Cunningham. The 6-year WNBA veteran came to the Valley as the 13th overall pick and while most fans hadn’t expected her to get much time on the court, the Missouri-born in her first season itself, played 32 games. Since then, she has been a core player for the Mercury, who have once again signed her through the 2025 season before stepping into the post-season action.

Hence, before the Mercury play their remaining three regular season games, let’s dive deep into what led to Cunningham’s re-signing and how much she has been earning all these seasons.

Sophie Cunningham: The Early Years

Cunnigham’s first break in the WNBA, as mentioned before, came during the 2019 season. She inked a humble $189,522/ four-year deal with the Mercury for 2019 through 2022. But her hard work paved the way for her once the contract expired. During her first three years, Cunningham struggled to show her skills. She was often sidelined in favor of other stars. But what was commendable was that even during those three years, she got a consistent chance to represent the Mercury on the court albeit for less time.

While her averages weren’t good enough in the rookie season, they improved over the next year and she got more floor time. However, they were still paltry when compared to the rest of the squad. By the third year, she averaged 5.6 points per game. And it was in her fourth and final year that she proved her mettle.

In the 2022 season, which was Cuningham’s final year as per the contract, the Mercury were testing their waters, and rebuilding a team because one of their core stars Brittney Griner, was detained in Russia. Their head coach Sandy Brondello too was released in favor of Vanessa Nygaard. To top it all, there were a number of injuries, mainly that of Diana Taurasi and Kia Nurse, which slimmed their chances of making it big in the tournament. It was under these circumstances that Cunningham was entrusted with the responsibilities, and she fared well.

During the 2022 season, Cunnigham made the most of what was presented to her. She even started in 20 out of the 28 games she played, averaging a decent 12.6 points per game with 4.4 rebounds per game. She helped her team advance to the first round of WNBA playoffs where they were defeated by Las Vegas Aces, who eventually won the Championship that year.

She then signed a one-year extension contract, specifically because Nygaard had just completed one season as their head coach. And players who were accustomed to the Mercury’s playing style could help Nygaard. The Missouri-born was paid an average salary of $75,000, as per Sportrac. 

Sophie Cunningham: Finding hope in bleak times

Taking note of her decent performance, Cuningham was again signed for a two-year contract extension in 2023 for $304,500. That year, she started in all 31 games which showed how much the management trusted her. She averaged 11.3 points with 2.8 rebounds per game.

The Mercury, after having a slow start picked up pace. Though Skylar Diggins-Smith was on maternity leave, Griner returned to the desert just in time. There were contract extensions even for Megan Gustafson, Shey Peddy, and Sam Thomas. However, Phoenix finished at the last spot in the WNBA rankings with a 0.225 record. The team then underwent some major changes, including their players and head coach, who Nate Tibbetts replaced.

Since then, the second-round pick has been faring decently well. Though she has started in only 18 out of the 37 games, the Mercury star is apparently in the process of making at least $154,500 this season. This time she averages 8 points per game with 4 rebounds per game and has shown her calibre for the Mercury whenever the situation has demanded. Not to mention, she has been a tough player on defense, despite the numbers not reflecting the same.

Talking about the franchise’s decision, Cunningham mentioned, “Phoenix has become my home away from home, and I am so thrilled to be in the Valley and continue to get to play in front of the best fans in the W – the X-Factor. The investments Mat is making in our organization are unmatched and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of what we are building here, on the court and in the community.”

Her best performance has been a 21-point game against the Indiana Fever in July that was somewhat of a lone warrior performance in a devastating 95-86 loss. Then, Diana Taurasi was out due to injury and precautionary measures were being taken before she joined Team USA. Similar was the case for Griner, although she did play until subbing out for good later in the game. Currently, the Mercury occupy seventh spot in the standings. And perhaps it is this contribution of Cunnigham and the result it has brought forward that the team has re-signed her for another season.

Although the exact details of the contract are not known yet, Tibbetts wants to make Cuningham a part of the rebuilding phase, something that she has done before and would come in handy if the main players are not available for the next year.

As for now, Cunnighma can rejoice in the fact that she is an asset to the Phoenix-based team and will continue to enchant the X-Factor. And hopefully, this time the Mercury will not leave the chance to defeat the Las Vegas Aces if they meet in the elimination series.