The Indiana Fever’s narrow 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries wasn’t the only thing drawing attention afterward. When Caitlin Clark did not appear for the team’s postgame media availability following a season-low 16-point performance, speculation followed there, too. The moment gained even more traction in the days that followed as scrutiny around the Fever intensified, but teammate Sophie Cunningham believes the explanation was far less dramatic.

“I think she had a lift after the game,” she said in Friday’s episode of her Show Me Something podcast with West Wilson. “I really don’t think there was anything to that. But again, like people love to hype s*** up, but I don’t think there’s really anything to hype up there.”

Cunningham’s explanation centered on what players commonly refer to as a “lift,” a strength and conditioning session that is part of their regular game-day routine.

According to her, Clark may not have completed her usual pregame workout before tipoff and instead headed to the weight room afterward. Cunningham noted that these sessions are not necessarily heavy-weightlifting workouts but are often focused on movement, mobility, and getting the body prepared or recovered. S

he also acknowledged that Clark’s absence may have had nothing to do with the workout at all, pointing out that players are often rotated through media responsibilities and that it simply might not have been Clark’s night to address reporters. So, she reiterated:

“Maybe it was just not her night to do it, but I know she was lifting or something after the game.”

Well, all that fuss over Caitlin Clark’s media absence against the Valkyries and her clash with coach Stephanie White is now quite down. Fever snapped a two-game losing streak against the Fire and the Valkyries with an 83-71 win, and Clark delivered quite a solid showing with 17 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.

Wins silence noise. Fever hope to sustain momentum into their upcoming Liberty matchup.

Having Been on the Other Side, Sophie Cunningham Understands Why the Fever Face So Much Scrutiny

Cunningham joined Fever in 2025 after watching Clark’s rookie season from outside. And seeing all the scrutiny and intense attention the team now faces from the inside, she understands exactly where it comes from because she was once on the other side of it.

“I just think that we have got so much attention drawn to us,” Cunningham said on her Show Me Something podcast. And I understand it. Like, when I wasn’t in Indiana, it was like, ‘Oh, you guys get all the attention, we’ll prove to you that you don’t deserve the attention’ type stuff.”

That scrutiny becomes even more intense when the team isn’t performing at its best, and Cunningham acknowledged that reality directly.

“Right now, we are like a .500 team. We are at the bottom of the pack right now,” she said. “Everything we do is just highlighted and on a microscope. Everyone’s watching every little thing we do. And I think there’s some moments that I see in our rundown that we want to talk about that’s kind of been blown out of proportion.”

But Cunningham’s overall framing of the situation is ultimately a constructive one. She sees an opportunity to learn from it. “So like, it’s part of the season. But I think these are all learning lessons. It’s an opportunity to grow and get better. And sometimes you just need kind of the ickiness in order to start building that chemistry and trust,” she said.

For a team with championship aspirations, going through that “ickiness” early and coming out the other side more connected could end up being one of the most important chapters of their 2026 campaign. As Cunningham also said, “I think I’d much rather be going through the trenches right now than in September and October.”