Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has seen rumors of a new boyfriend spread across social media after a bikini photo showed her cozying up to a man on a boat during her 30th birthday celebrations.
Cunningham marked her milestone birthday on August 16 and used a break in the schedule during the FIBA World Cup to keep the celebrations going. She took a boat trip on the Lake of the Ozarks in her home state of Missouri with a group of close friends and shared pictures from the outing on her Instagram page.
One photo from the trip that surfaced online caught particular attention. It showed Cunningham in a bikini snuggled up to a man wearing a black baseball cap. Cunningham did not appear to post the image herself, but that did not stop fans and commentators from concluding it marked the hard launch of a new relationship.
Man identified as former Mercury trainer
The man was soon identified online as Frank Adams, a former staffer with Cunningham's old WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, where he worked as an assistant athletic trainer until 2025. He is now head athletic trainer for the Grand Canyon University men's basketball team, and Cunningham was reportedly spotted at some of the team's games earlier this year.
Cunningham has played for the Indiana Fever, where she has become known for her physical style of play and for acting as an on-court protector for teammate Caitlin Clark.
Cunningham on her dating life
Cunningham has largely kept her dating life private. Speaking as a guest on the 'Like a Farmer' podcast in February, she was candid about how little dating she does.
"People don't come up to me. I don't really go on dates," she said. "I think I just maybe give off, like, an intimidating vibe."
"I think that's maybe the problem. Like, I get along with the guys way more than I get along with the girls."
Cowherd's 'sex symbol' comment
Cunningham faced another awkward moment over the weekend when broadcaster Colin Cowherd, 62, referred to her as the WNBA's "sex symbol" during a conversation on his podcast.
"You are kind of viewed a little bit as the league's … ummm," Cowherd said, searching for the right words.
"Just say it," Cunningham replied. "I don't care."
"Sex symbol," Cowherd responded, before asking if that was a fair assessment. "That is way better," Cunningham said. "I thought you were gonna go somewhere completely different."
On being 'tough' and 'girly'
Cowherd went on to praise Cunningham's physical play and her willingness to stand up to anyone on the court, a trait she has often shown while protecting Clark, as well as her personal style.
"You're tough. You'll fight anybody. You'll taunt anybody," Cowherd said. "But you'll make sure, coming into the arena, 'I look good, and I want you to know…'"
"For some reason, our society, if you play basketball, you can't dress that way, or you can't be girly," Cunningham replied. "No one's ever said it, but it's like, they kind of feel that you can't be both. Screw all that. Yes, you can. You can be girly, and you can go out and kick someone's ass."
