Unafraid on and off the court, direct, and always willing to do whatever it takes to feel supported, that’s what defines WNBA players. And those traits have never been more visible than now, with everything happening around the CBA negotiations. We’re seeing a version of them that doesn’t sit neatly inside the space they’ve long been confined to… the version Sophie Cunningham captured with a clarity that hints there’s more coming than anyone expected.

Sophie’s image throughout her whole career has been fiery, physical, and super competitive. I think if not all, at least most newcomers to the league were probably introduced to Sophie Cunningham after that whole thing went down in the Connecticut Sun game. She took that hard foul on Jacy Sheldon, and suddenly, we were on the edge of a full-on brawl. Hope you remember that moment. 

In case you don’t, take a look here: 

So, people assume that’s exactly who she is off the court, too. But that’s not true. Not at all. And if you ask Sophie, she’ll tell you that goes for the entire WNBA.

“I’m not just speaking for myself, I think I’m speaking on behalf of probably the whole league that when people see us competing and trying to fight to do anything it takes to win because this is a hard, hard league, they automatically think that’s what you’re like off the court. People need to get to know us players and not judge the competitive side of us compared to our off-court,” Sophie said.

After hearing this, the first two people who came to my mind were Jackie Young and Kelsey Mitchell. The fiercer they are on the court, the quieter they are off it. And if we’re counting college hoopers, Sarah Strong fits that perfectly, too.

Even Cunningham’s own teammates look like the exact kind of folks you’d want to hang out with. The same goes for our ‘best player on the planet.’ A’ja Wilson is someone everyone fears the second she steps on the hardwood, but off the court, she seems like the girl you’d want in your group chat. A total girl’s girl.

Thankfully, in today’s world, social media allows us to get these tiny glimpses into their lives: the goofy side, the soft side, the side that has nothing to do with boxing out or fighting through screens. The one they keep miles away when it’s time to ask for what they deserve. We all saw how hard they fought through CBA talks in the fiercest way possible (like they do on the hardwood), every single player standing shoulder to shoulder.

Speaking of which, now that we’re halfway through this extension month of November… where exactly are we at?

Cunningham might’ve just dropped an update.

Sophie Cunningham drops CBA update

Sophie Cunningham was out there “golfing with friends.” But the CBA followed her all the way to Florida. Because while she and Lexie Hull were walking the course at The Annika, caddying for Caitlin Clark during the Pro-Am, a fan suddenly yelled out for both of them to re-sign with the Fever this offseason. 

And Sophie didn’t miss a beat. “Tell them to pay us,” she shot back. She was obviously talking about the ongoing CBA negotiations,  the same talks that got pushed 30 more days after the players opted out of the 2020 deal. And the update she dropped this week doesn’t sound very exciting.

In her chat with Annie Costibile of Front Office Sports, Sophie kept it real. “There’s really not a lot to talk about … on [the players’] end until there’s a new CBA.” She added that the last meeting was about two weeks ago, and while the execs talk daily, there hasn’t been much movement at all. That sounds like a lot of waiting, a lot of hoping, and not a whole lot of progress.

So for now, all we know is this: the players are holding their ground, the negotiations are crawling, and we can only hope for an update after the extended negotiation period ends.