Indiana Fever basketball star Sophie Cunningham has captivated her fans by appearing topless in a newly released set of photos for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. The 29-year-old was announced as a debutant for the Swimsuit edition last month, and now the full gallery of images has been unveiled.
Photos Shot on Captiva Island
In the photographs, taken by Katherine Goguen on Captiva Island in Florida, Cunningham can be seen writhing around in the sand. At one point, she sheds her bikini for some remarkably candid shots. The snaps were taken just off the coast of Fort Myers, and Cunningham is one of the magazine's 'featured athletes,' highlighting her meteoric rise to become one of the WNBA's biggest stars.
On and Off the Court
This season, she is once again a teammate of Caitlin Clark in Indiana, but off the court, she is making plenty of waves too. On Instagram, Cunningham posted a series of photos from the shoot, even teasing a further collaboration with Sports Illustrated. The caption read: 'Year 1 with @si_swimsuit AHHHH!'
Fans quickly flooded the comments with reactions. Golf legend Nelly Korda simply noted: 'Okkkkk' with two fire emojis. Another Fever teammate, Lexie Hull, also reacted, writing 'Oh em geeeeee' alongside the photos.
Building Her Brand
Cunningham is continuing to build her brand off the court, hosting a podcast and becoming a TV analyst in recent months. It was perhaps surprising to see Cunningham approve the topless images, given she previously made a joke about her body type. Cunningham has been a fashion icon in the league, often turning heads with her 'tunnel fits.'
After fellow WNBA star Angel Reese was chosen as the face of a new Victoria's Secret campaign, Cunningham said on her podcast: 'Oh my god, I texted my agents right away and I was like pleaaase... this has been a dream of mine since second grade. I've always wanted to be a Victoria's Secret Angel. I think it would be so fun to walk in that fashion show. But Angel really did kill it. She looked stunning, she looked beautiful.' However, she then cast doubt on her chances of fulfilling that dream when she added: 'I don't really have the boobs. They're gonna need a big push-up bra for me.'
