After Sophie Cunningham landed a one-year, $665,000 deal with the Indiana Fever, her first financial decision was to purchase a VRBO in Arizona. While it wasn’t her first investment in business, it was an indication that the Fever star was now turning more serious about the business side. Now that the WNBA pays more under the 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement, Cunningham is planning bigger to expand her business.
“Becoming a businesswoman and letting your money work for you in that way is also huge. Women with money, I think that it gives you independence.”
“It gives you freedom, it gives you confidence that you don’t have to rely on anyone else, kind of standing on your own two feet and having the confidence that you can take care of yourself is huge.”
The Indiana Fever guard said in the final episode of Beyond Basketball with Sophie Cunningham, presented by Yrefy.
Cunningham is not just pushing for her financial independence with the salary increase under the new CBA. She has also pressed that her fellow WNBA players should also make good business decisions with the inflow of good money from salaries and advertising. Cunningham has already named former Phoenix Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi as her dream business partner.
However, the Fever star is not waiting for the perfect odds to start her business. She has already started thinking big. According to ESPN, her VRBO purchase in Arizona was just the beginning. She is now looking to buy two more. Cunningham is now thinking about her business portfolio.
“I’m about to probably buy one in Nashville and Florida, and so I’m just starting to make a business outside of the court,” she said. “It’s good, it’s fun. I’m trying to buy places that I want to go visit, so when I’m there, I don’t have to pay for it.
“I think it’s a long time coming, but now you have to be smart with that money. You can’t just go out and blow it all or not invest. I think it allows all of us to kind of grow and be businesswomen.”
Aside from her annual WNBA salary, Cunningham also makes a large chunk of her earnings through endorsement deals. She has deals with companies like Adidas, Ring, Quest Nutrition, Arby’s, European Wax Center, and Sun Cruiser.
Moreover, Cunningham’s deal with Project B, a newly founded women’s basketball league outside the WNBA, could be a major financial boost for her. The new league is reportedly paying top players $2 million in salary. They will also give signing bonuses and equity to every player. It will be a significant boost for the WNBA star’s bank balance.
It’s not just about investment for Sophie Cunningham; she is also conservative with her hard-earned dollars. One of the reasons that she is relentless about making good business decisions and securing her finances is because she has seen things very closely. Her father worked as a building contractor during the 2008 housing crisis.
“Our family was in the house market when it crashed in 2008 and that was really hard on our family,” Cunningham said. “We’ve had some really good times. We’ve had some very, very low times.”
“I think sometimes when you see both sides of it, sometimes you can be really risky with your money. Sometimes you need to be a little more conservative with your money.”
The Fever star is smart enough to learn lessons from the past. Moreover, she has already hired advisors to help her with her finances and help the WNBA star grow her business portfolio. However, Cunningham is not getting lazy about her hard-earned money.
Although the Indiana Fever star hasn’t announced plans to retire anytime soon, she is learning about finances on her own. She is gaining knowledge through books and learning from people who have been there.