You may or may not realize it, but Sophie Cunningham is quietly becoming one of the most talked-about athletes right now. After standing up for her teammate and earning the title of the W’s ‘enforcer,’ her popularity shot up overnight. And along with that, she is building a special bond with who she proudly calls the ‘baby GOAT.’ But behind all the glitter and noise, Sophie hasn’t forgotten the what exactly set it all in motion to become Caitlin Clark’s teammate.
It was being Diana Taurasi’s teammate.
Cunningham spent her first six seasons in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, where she got the dream gig, sharing a locker room with Dee. Taurasi played her final game this past September before officially retiring in February, closing the book on one of the most iconic eras in Phoenix. That same stretch also saw Brittney Griner leave for the Atlanta Dream and Cunningham herself traded to the Indiana Fever. A lot changed for Phoenix, but those years shaped Sophie in every way.
“I want to say that like I I’m very blessed to have been in the position that I was in because everyone can argue she’s the greatest of all time. Dee…what she does and what she has done for this game is unbelievable and she’s the reason why CC gets to be where she’s at,” Cunningham said. See, that’s the thing. As much as the Caitlin Clark phenomenon has taken over – the record-breaking attendance, the TV numbers – none of this happens without DT. She’s the one who laid that path. She was in the league nearly as long as it has existed.
Some of the rookies from 2024 draft weren’t even born when Taurasi made her debut in Phoenix. Caitlin herself was just two. Dee’s game was already inspiring kids everywhere to pick up a basketball. Clark has said it herself, “That’s somebody I grew up idolizing and looking up to and wanting to be like one day.” So for Sophie, being Taurasi’s teammate wasn’t just some cool side note in her career. It was everything. She did exactly what any of us would do if we were in her shoes, she soaked it all in. “When I played with her, I was just a sponge. I try to soak up her knowledge.”
And the knowledge wasn’t just about hitting big shots or running an offense. It was the way Taurasi thought about basketball, the way she lived it. Sophie remembered how people often compared Dee’s mindset to Kobe Bryant’s, and guess what… she actually got to witness the two of them talking hoops. “I’m not kidding, was like next next level…times 100. Like it was just the way they think about the game and they’re 20 steps ahead of everyone,” she said on the The Right “REED” Podcast. That’s not a sight you forget.
Jun 30, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham (9) against the Indiana Fever at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Kobe and Taurasi, two GOATs, no question. After spending time together back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, both had so much respect for each other. To see that kind of exchange up close? That’s like basketball grad school right there. And for Cunningham, who was drafted 13th by Phoenix back in 2019, those lessons really mattered. She went from starting just 5 games early on with Dee still leading the lineup to eventually starting all 31 games in 2023.
That kind of growth, while watching the weight of the spotlight fall on Taurasi every single night, set her up perfectly for the role she’s playing now in Indiana. “I think that set me up for being a teammate of Caitlin Clark.” Because it might be new to some but those years with Dee taught Sophie how to carry yourself under the weight of expectations, learning how to thrive under a spotlight and the pressure of playing with a ‘superstar.’
Now she knows that beyond all the hype, what Caitlin really needs is love, support, and someone in her corner and Sophie continues to defend her just as fiercely as she once did for DT. And while Sophie is clearly enjoying her time in Indy and is a a Fever through and through, even sharing a few Phoenix locker room secrets on how they once approached Clark, when it comes to her GOAT, she has her answer.
Diana Taurasi will always be Sophie Cunningham’s GOAT
When Sophie Cunningham returned to Phoenix, the welcome was just as warm as her years in the Valley. Ahead of facing her former team, she sat down for a pregame chat with the media, and of course, the big question came up… what connects Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark?
Cunningham didn’t hesitate. “DT will always be my GOAT,” she said. “I’ve never met someone who thinks the game how she thinks. The way that she was a pro in doing her weights, her rehab. The way she trained in the offseason when she was toward the end of her career, when she wasn’t going overseas. I’ve just never seen anything like that.”
That city will never forget the trio of Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Cunningham. Taurasi was the scoring machine, Griner the dominant force inside, and Sophie was the tough, gritty piece who always came through in clutch moments. Together, they didn’t just win games. They defined an entire era. No doubt, why she still carried that love for Phoenix & Dee.
However while Taurasi will forever be her GOAT, Cunningham admits Caitlin Clark is the closest anyone’s come to that kind of basketball mind. “But the way that Caitlin thinks of the game, that’s a really close second,” she shared. “You know, she’s taking this game to new heights and it’s been amazing to watch.”
And maybe that’s the beauty of it. When we talk about passing the torch, it feels like Sophie was standing right there, carrying a piece of Dee’s fire as it now lights up Clark’s journey.
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