Happy birthday, Sophie Cunningham! The Indiana Fever guard and 2026 SI Swimsuit model celebrates her milestone 30th birthday today, Sunday, Aug. 16.
While the Missouri native is best known for being among the best 3-point shooters in the WNBA, this year, she joined the SI Swimsuit family after posing for photographer Katherine Goguen at South Seas Resort on Captiva Island, Fla. Her photo shoot in the Fort Myers, Fla., area resulted in some truly stunning imagery, and while on set, Cunningham was styled in a series of black and white swimsuits that our fashion team described as being “a celebration of the female form.”
Cunningham, who played collegiate basketball at the University of Missouri in her home state, playfully predicted how she imagined her fellow Fever teammates would react upon seeing her SI Swimsuit photos while on set in the Sunshine State.
“Honestly, I don’t think anyone is gonna be fully surprised, I think the majority of them are gonna be like, ‘Where are your clothes?’” she joked. “But they also know it’s me. I think everyone’s gonna be super stoked and I think just proud because this really is an iconic moment and an iconic shoot and brand to be a part of.”
Additionally, in between striking some power poses on location, Cunningham stated that being featured in this year’s issue was “one of the most empowering things that I have ever done.” She later elaborated, “… After [this] photo shoot, it’s like ‘Wow, I wish every little girl and every little boy could just feel what that felt like.’ I feel so confident, I feel so beautiful, I feel so amazing in my own skin and what my body has to offer and … I just felt so good just to be myself.”
Off the court, Cunningham serves as a studio analyst with the USA Network and cohosts the Show Me Something podcast alongside pal and reality television star West Wilson. And while she is often in the spotlight for her performance on the court, Cunningham is a bit of a polarizing player in the league, resulting from her statements on transgender athletes and her views on their role in women’s athletics.
Whether she’s securing her status as one of the league’s best 3-point shooters (with a 45.5% average during the regular 2026 WNBA season thus far) or impressing fans with her chic tunnel ’fits, Cunningham continues to thrive both on and off the court.
Below, in celebration of the athlete’s milestone 30th birthday, enjoy a few of our favorite snapshots from her 2026 SI Swimsuit photo shoot.
