Sophie Cunningham makes poignant admission on how loss of best friend to suicide changed her life

Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham became candid about a difficult time in her life. She shared her story as a special guest on The Travis Hearn Podcast, which was released earlier this year on Aug. 26. During her interview, she shared the story of how her best friend from childhood committed suicide.

While losing someone important to you can be a dark time in anyone's life, Cunningham shared how the event changed her life positively. Her friend's name was Cameron and according to her, they had known each other since they were a year old.

She proceeded to tell the story of how his loss caused her to live her life a certain way.

"We were like two peas in a pod," Cunningham said. "If he was still alive today, you'd be like 'Oh are you guys twins?'"

She then shared how her best friend Cameron died by suicide when she was a freshman in college. Cunningham recalled her mom calling her while she was in school to break the news and how she felt afterward.

After talking about some of the events that followed, including a moment where she was asked to sing at her friend's funeral, she spoke of how it changed her.

"I'll say that having that happened to you, I don't take the little moments for granted anymore," she shared. "I actually genuinely ask, 'Hey, how are you?' Like, I want to know because I've seen people be like, 'Oh, I'm good', but they're freaking miserable."

Additionally, she shared how she always tries to make people feel comfortable around her and how she wants to make people feel worthy. [34:30 mark]

Sophie Cunningham was drafted 13th by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019. She has remained with the team since and has alternated her role between starter and a sparkplug off the bench. She has excelled in both roles equally.

Statistically, her best season so far was in 2022 when she averaged 12.6 points per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 40.0% from downtown.

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Sophie Cunningham shares which player is the toughest to guard for her

Earlier in the same interview, Sophie Cunningham was asked who the toughest player is to guard in the WNBA. According to her, New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart is challenging to contain.

Cunningham talked about Stewart's versatility and how she can switch between positions almost seamlessly to fit the needs of her team. Cunningham also shared how Stewie, despite only being three inches taller than she is, makes her feel small on the court.

To Sophie Cunningham's credit, she probably isn't the only player to feel this way when competing against Breanna Stewart.

After all, Stewart is a six-time All-Star, two-time MVP (2018, 2020) and is constantly in the conversation of being the best player in the league every season. Her contributions have helped her former team, the Seattle Storm, win two championships and she's on the hunt for more.

Aside from being a two-time champ, she was also named the Finals MVP both times.