A protagonist for some and an antagonist for others, Sophie Cunningham has somewhat become the face of the WNBA in recent months. But on Friday, the Indiana Fever guard went viral on social media for a unique reason after some fan pages shared photos of her on a boat during the ongoing WNBA break, with who they claimed was her boyfriend, garnering over 2.4 million views in around eight hours.
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“Sophie Cunningham revealed her new boyfriend,” wrote @FeverUpdate on X with two photos of her with the “boyfriend” in question.
The photos are supposedly from Cunningham’s late birthday trip with friends and family earlier this week. The Fever Guard turned 30 on August 16, but the busy WNBA schedule naturally didn’t let her celebrate as elaborately as she might have wanted, with a game against the Dallas Wings two days before her birthday and one against the Atlanta Dream on her birthday, with the Fever winning 95-91 in OT.
In the two photos shared, Cunningham is seen wearing a multicolor bikini and posing with a man wearing what looks like a lifejacket and pink shorts atop a boat. Though the photos aren’t seen on Cunningham’s social media, the Fever star has uploaded other photos in the same bikini on a boat, dated Monday, Sept. 7.
The photos with the mystery man, who Cunningham has apparently been spotted with in the past, has previously been identified by fans as Frank Adams, the head athletic trainer for men’s basketball at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. However, Cunningham has never commented on such speculation.
But their closeness in the images quickly got WNBA fans talking.
“Aww I love both of them,” wrote one fan.
There were many comments that tried to make negative connections, but some fans decided to be the voice of reason amid that.
“You all do realize that she is single still and this is one of her friends from her friends and family boat trip. She has taken pictures with other friends male and female as well as family members on that 30th birthday party trip.”
Another fan seconded the sentiment, writing, “Its family and friends, chill out.”
In February, Cunningham had opened up about how country singer-songwriter Alan Jackson would be her “dream guy” if he were “younger and not married and have kids.” One fan brought up that connection, writing:
“Days ago she was joking that Alan Jackson would be the pick if he were younger and single. Until Sophie actually confirms who this man is, I’m keeping “new boyfriend” in the rumor folder.”
In a similar post shared by @BrickCenter_, there were many more comments about this speculated relationship.
“Good for her. She seems happy,” wrote one user, while another pointed out how they almost did a double take, thinking Cunningham linked up with 2024 NBA champion Jaylen Brown.
“Ayo thought this was Jaylen Brown for a quick sec,” they hilariously wrote.
The voices of reason were also present under this post, clarifying that the “boyfriend” might just be one of the friends on her birthday trip.
“According to Grok, this is false and is just another of her friends on her Friends and Family boat trip where she took many pictures with various male and female friends,” read their message.
On the “Like A Farmer” podcast in February, Sophie Cunningham had said that her life is “a mystery to a lot of people” and that is exactly how she wants it to be. And well, that is how it still is. While fans can speculate about such photos all they want, Cunningham has kept mum.
On the professional front, the 6-foot-one Guard has aided the Fever in making it to the 2026 WNBA playoffs. The team is currently fifth in the standings, with four games remaining in the regular season, which resumes on Sept. 18 after the FIBA Women’s World Cup concludes.