Sophie Cunningham is not retiring from the WNBA, despite a viral social media post claiming Caitlin Clark gave her a “proper farewell” after the Indiana Fever’s regular-season finale against the Minnesota Lynx. The claim is false.
Cunningham played in Indiana’s loss to Minnesota on September 24, finishing without a point. A post from the X account “Fever Updates” then used muted footage of Clark with a made-up quote suggesting Cunningham was leaving basketball.
There has been no retirement announcement from Cunningham or the Fever. She is on Indiana’s roster for its first-round playoff game against the Las Vegas Aces.
Sophie Cunningham retirement rumor: What happened after Fever vs Lynx?
The rumor started with an X post claiming Clark had spoken about Cunningham’s supposed final WNBA regular-season game.
The post quoted Clark as saying:
{{/usCountry}}The post quoted Clark as saying:
{{/usCountry}}“We wanted to give Sophie a proper farewell in her final WNBA regular-season game of her career. I wish Sophie nothing but the best as she begins the next chapter of her life.
“She hasn't told us much about what's next, but I could definitely see her working at the U.N. and advocating for women's rights.”
Those words did not come from Clark. Lead Stories previously checked a similar retirement claim involving Cunningham in August and found no evidence that she had announced plans to leave the WNBA.
Did Caitlin Clark give Sophie Cunningham a farewell?
No, the viral post used a muted press conference video of Caitlin Clark and placed the false quote alongside it. There is no evidence that Clark made those comments about Cunningham.
The timing made the rumor look believable because Indiana had just finished the regular season with a loss to Minnesota. Cunningham spent limited time on the court and missed all of her attempts from the field, including her shots from beyond the arc.
But the result did not mark the end of Cunningham’s WNBA career. The Indiana Fever’s official site continues to list recent Cunningham content, including her September 23 media appearance.
Sophie Cunningham’s WNBA future: Is she playing against Las Vegas Aces?
Cunningham is preparing for the playoffs with Indiana. The Fever will face the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of their first-round series on September 27.
Cunningham returned to Indiana for the 2026 season on a one-year deal. Her current contract covers the 2026 season, but that alone is not an announcement of retirement.