Sophie Cunningham opens up about being teased for her height before turning her 'difference' into strength
Sophie Cunningham has opened up about how being taller and more athletic than other girls shaped her childhood and, later, her basketball career . The Indiana Fever guard said she was teased for being bigger than some boys, but her family taught her not to hide those differences. Instead, they told her that the same traits could become her biggest strength. Cunningham discussed that journey during an appearance on Shannon Spake’s Sons & Daughters podcast. She said she eventually stopped trying to fit in and learned to be comfortable with who she was.
Sophie Cunningham found strength in what made her differentCunningham grew up in a family where being tall was normal. Her mother is 1.78 metres tall, her aunt is 1.91 metres and her grandmother is also 1.78 metres. Cunningham and her sister Lindsey even hoped they would reach 1.83 metres.
That did not stop Cunningham from feeling different as a child. She said people made jokes about her size, height and athletic build.
“They made fun of me for being bigger, for being taller than the boys, for looking different from the other girls and for not being small, for having a more athletic build”, she explained.
At home, however, the message was very different. Her mother, aunt and grandmother encouraged her to stand tall instead of trying to make herself smaller. Cunningham remembered one line from her family that stayed with her:
“That is going to be your greatest superpower someday. Pull your shoulders back”, Cunningham recalled.
That advice became more meaningful as she grew older. Cunningham played basketball, volleyball, track and field and American football while growing up. Basketball eventually became her main sport, leading her from Rock Bridge High School to the University of Missouri.
Sophie Cunningham stopped trying to fit in at MissouriCunningham’s college career gave her another reason to trust what made her different. At Missouri, she became the women’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,187 points. The University of Missouri lists her as the program’s career leader in scoring and free throws made.
But the bigger change was personal. Cunningham said she had spent years trying to fit in before deciding that she did not need to copy anyone else.
“I think I really found my superpower when I stopped trying to be like everyone else. I simply was myself”, she said.
She also made clear that being a strong athlete did not mean giving up the parts of herself she liked.
“Yes, I’m tall and maybe I’m not small, but I’m still strong. I want to wear heels. I want to be feminine. I want to be a badass on the court”, she said.
For Cunningham, that shift followed her into the WNBA . The traits that once made her feel out of place became part of how she saw herself as a player and as a person. Her story is less about changing who she was and more about finally accepting the qualities she had spent years trying to fit around.
Sophie Cunningham found strength in what made her differentCunningham grew up in a family where being tall was normal. Her mother is 1.78 metres tall, her aunt is 1.91 metres and her grandmother is also 1.78 metres. Cunningham and her sister Lindsey even hoped they would reach 1.83 metres.
That did not stop Cunningham from feeling different as a child. She said people made jokes about her size, height and athletic build.
“They made fun of me for being bigger, for being taller than the boys, for looking different from the other girls and for not being small, for having a more athletic build”, she explained.
At home, however, the message was very different. Her mother, aunt and grandmother encouraged her to stand tall instead of trying to make herself smaller. Cunningham remembered one line from her family that stayed with her:
“That is going to be your greatest superpower someday. Pull your shoulders back”, Cunningham recalled.
That advice became more meaningful as she grew older. Cunningham played basketball, volleyball, track and field and American football while growing up. Basketball eventually became her main sport, leading her from Rock Bridge High School to the University of Missouri.
Sophie Cunningham stopped trying to fit in at MissouriCunningham’s college career gave her another reason to trust what made her different. At Missouri, she became the women’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,187 points. The University of Missouri lists her as the program’s career leader in scoring and free throws made.
But the bigger change was personal. Cunningham said she had spent years trying to fit in before deciding that she did not need to copy anyone else.
“I think I really found my superpower when I stopped trying to be like everyone else. I simply was myself”, she said.
She also made clear that being a strong athlete did not mean giving up the parts of herself she liked.
“Yes, I’m tall and maybe I’m not small, but I’m still strong. I want to wear heels. I want to be feminine. I want to be a badass on the court”, she said.
For Cunningham, that shift followed her into the WNBA . The traits that once made her feel out of place became part of how she saw herself as a player and as a person. Her story is less about changing who she was and more about finally accepting the qualities she had spent years trying to fit around.
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