Sophie Cunningham Stuns In Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Photo

WNBA star Sophia Cunningham can officially call herself a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model. Cunningham became a household name during the 2025 WNBA season due to her personality on and off the hardwood. She averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Indiana Fever. On Tuesday night, ...

by Chris Rosvoglou

Apr 8, 2026

Sophie Cunningham poses for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

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WNBA star Sophia Cunningham can officially call herself a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.

Cunningham became a household name during the 2025 WNBA season due to her personality on and off the hardwood. She averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Indiana Fever.

On Tuesday night, Cunningham revealed that she's joining USA Network as a contributor for its coverage of the 2026 WNBA season. Less than 24 hours later, she was unveiled as one of the newest models for SI Swimsuit.

Aug 9, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) celebrates from the bench Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
© Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images&period;

SI Swimsuit had Cunningham pose for photos in Fort Myers, Florida. She was on set with WNBA superstar Napheesa Collier and track star Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. They were all photographed by Katherine Goguen on Captiva Island.

"This is probably one of the most empowering things that I have ever done," Cunningham said in an interview with SI Swimsuit.

Unsurprisingly, the first official photo from Cunningham's rookie shoot has grabbed everyone's attention.

SI Swimsuit's history with the WNBA.

In 2012, SI Swimsuit had Sue Bird, Te’a Cooper, Nneka Ogwumike, DiDi Richards and Breanna Stewart pose for a WNBA-themed photo shoot in St. Thomas.

“This is who we are; this is the makeup of our league,” Bird told SI Swimsuit. “The issue for so many years has been iconic and has represented a lot for women. Now you are seeing an evolution in what that can mean and what that can look like, and I think the WNBA players being a part of that is what makes it special. There is no better group of women to showcase that evolution.”

Just a year ago, Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks posed for the iconic magazine.

"I think it’s always really hard to be a woman in this world, but especially a female athlete," Brink told SI Swimsuit. "Am I supposed to look more feminine? Am I supposed to look more athletic? What’s the balance? What do people think? My femininity—I hold that very close to my self-image, so it’s definitely gone back and forth. I think every female athlete’s had a really rough go with body image. But I’m definitely glad I’ve gotten to a really good place, and I’m able to do stuff like this with SI Swimsuit. It’s just very empowering, so I hope everyone can get to a point like this."

Now that Cunningham's rookie shoot has been unveiled, we can add her to SI Swimsuit's impressive roster.