Every setback is an opportunity. And for Sophie Cunningham, that opportunity was: Podcasting. After an MCL tear ruled her out for the rest of the season, Sophie Cunningham swiftly transitioned from clutch shots to hot takes. And just like her shot-up three-pointers, her comments about a WNBA star on a podcast yesterday have raised a lot of eyebrows. The person in question? Napheesa Collier.

Appearing on the Show Me Something pod, Sophie Cunningham made a revelation about an on-court childhood rival, who’s now one of the faces of the WNBA. “Actually, Oh! Napheesa Collier- she was, lived in Jeff City for a little bit, and then she moved to St. Louis,” Cunningham confessed. “So, I have played against her. Since like, sixth-seventh grade.”

Co-host West Wilson was clearly surprised by this piece of news. Sophie further revealed, “She went to Incarnate Word. Yeah, so she spent a year at Jeff City, I think. Her freshman year, and then she moved to St. Louis. For her to be part of Incarnate Word, which is like a stacked basketball team,” Cunningham added. She even made a bold claim about the Lynx superstar. “But Napheesa’s good. She’s probably the best player in our league. She is a hell of a player. Yeah, like has everything in her bag.” That ought to raise more than a few eyebrows.

Even Napheesa Collier has attested to playing against Cunningham. Speaking with Sue Bird on the latter’s podcast on August 22, Collier reminisced about their clashes during their high-school days. “I’ve played against Sophie since I was in 8th grade,” Collier confessed, before addressing, “She is the same. Yeah,” in terms of gameplay.

Cunningham also praised the Lynx, calling them a ‘hot team’ and also praised, at times ostracized, Cheryl Reeve for the way she’s made the Lynx into a winning machine. “They’re a hot team right now, and they’re doing so good,” Sophie said. “But to me, Minnesota’s offense is… I know people have opinions about Cheryl (Reeve), who’s their head coach, but dude, she is a genius when it comes to freaking being a head coach.” Emphasising the Lynx as one of the strongest teams in the league, Cunningham appreciated HC Cheryl Reeve and her efforts.

And leading this Lynx charge from the front is Napheesa Collier, who has emerged as one of the favourites for the MVP.

Napheesa Collier emerges as an MVP candidate

The reigning DPOY is in the form of her life, averaging a league-high 23.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season. The result? Minnesota is by far the best team in the league, sitting comfortably at first place, and is the favorite to go all the way in the postseason.

As the buzz around the MVP conversations gains momentum, it’s not just fans who see Collier as the favourite for the crown. Almost 67% of GMs also predicted that Collier will be the front-runner for the award. And she has by far lived up to those expectations.

Leading the MVP race with -325, per BetMGM, Napheesa Collier is closely followed by the reigning MVP, A’ja Wilson. Wilson stands with +450 votes under her belt, partly due to her 30/20 feat and the LV Aces’ remarkable 11-game winning streak. The only blot against Collier is that she’s missed nearly 20% of games this season, which may hamper her quest for the MVP crown.

Who do you think should be the MVP: Napheesa Collier or A’ja Wilson? Or is it someone else? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.