Indiana Fever Keep Winning Even as Off-Court Drama Swirls Around Them

The Indiana Fever are one of the hottest teams in the WNBA right now, but they keep having to deal with problems that have nothing to do with basketball. Guard Sophie Cunningham came to practice on Wednesday wanting to talk about the game, but questions about her off-court views followed her anyway. She recently shared her belief that transgender women should not compete in women's sports, and that sparked a major debate. Even so, the Fever have kept playing great basketball through all the noise.

Since July 1, Indiana is 9–3, meaning they have won nine of their last twelve games. They beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces by 16 points in one game and by 34 points in another during a recent road trip. The Fever also had a five-game winning streak that matched the fourth-longest in team history. That streak ended with a 108–100 loss to Minnesota on Sunday.

The team's offense has been historic this season. Indiana is averaging 96.5 points per game, which is on pace to break the WNBA's all-time single-season record of 93.9 points per game set by the Phoenix Mercury in 2010. Stars Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston are all having career-best seasons. Cunningham is also playing at a personal best, shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 45.2 percent on three-pointers.

Cunningham says experience is the biggest reason the team handles all this pressure so well. She spent six years playing alongside legends Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner in Phoenix, where she learned to deal with a lot of outside attention. She says joining the Fever brought "100 times more" distractions, but last year's drama helped prepare everyone for this season. "This year, we're used to it," she said. "We're tight in the locker room. We try to protect each other like no other."

The Fever have faced wave after wave of off-court stories in 2025. A sideline argument between Clark and coach Stephanie White in May led to rumors that White might be fired. Then a 22-second video of Cunningham pointing went viral, and a moment where Alyssa Thomas appeared to hit Clark in the throat led the U.S. Congress to write a letter to the WNBA commissioner about player safety. Now, rallies both for and against Cunningham's views have taken place near recent games.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, the winningest coach in WNBA history, approached Cunningham in person to share her own perspective on the controversy. Cunningham was grateful that Reeve came face to face rather than posting about it online. "She had stories about her point of view, and I had stories about my point of view, and we left with love and respect," Cunningham said. She called that kind of direct, respectful conversation exactly what is needed.

Coach White says going through so many challenges together has actually made the Fever stronger as a team. The constant drama has pushed players to rely on each other and stay locked in on winning. "Any time we have an opportunity to navigate challenges together, it reveals the character of who you are," White said. She was named the WNBA's Coach of the Month for July just one day after sharing those words.

No matter how many controversies erupt around them, the Fever say their focus stays on the court. Cunningham noted that every arena the team visits feels electric, as if the other team is playing its Super Bowl. "All eyes are on you 24-7," she said. But her final message was simple and clear: "I want to get back to basketball. It's always been about basketball."