Sophie Cunningham will be back with the Indiana Fever for 2026 after she signed a one-year deal with the team in WNBA free agency. Apart from reuniting with the likes of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull, Cunningham will also get to play alongside some new teammates.
The Fever brought in three rookies via the 2026 WNBA Draft. Their biggest addition is South Carolina’s Raven Johnson, whom Indiana selected 10th overall.
Johnson is a winner in college. She is the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and has no less than two national championships under her belt with the Gamecocks.
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The Fever officially kicked off their training camp on Sunday ahead of the start of the WNBA season in May. This provided Cunningham with an opportunity to get to know her new teammates, including Johnson.
Cunningham needed just one practice session with the 5-foot-8 guard to form her opinion.
“We got some kind of good rookies like it's exciting,” Cunningham said on the latest episode of her “Show Me Something” podcast. “I know a big name was Raven Johnson. She was with South Carolina and Raven Johnson is a freaking dog.
“We had our first day of training camp and I just like love her. I think she's going to be fantastic, great defensive player.”
As a senior with South Carolina last season, Johnson averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 triples in 28.7 minutes per contest. She was named an AP All-American, helping lead the Gamecocks to the national championship game.
Unfortunately, Johnson came up short of her third title. The Gamecocks lost to the UCLA Bruins in the championship game, 79-51.
Cunningham is clearly high on Johnson and what she can bring to the table for the Fever. Cunningham is all in on the Raven Johnson hype train.
