WNBA stars often pick up a side quest during their off-season. Be it Caitlin Clark with her golf and public speaking, or Paige Bueckers venturing into Hollywood, or Angel Reese sparking deals with Victoria’s Secret. This time, though, it’s Sophie Cunningham, a black-belt in taekwondo, who already has another plan for the offseason. But keep it on the down-low, even her coaches and trainers don’t know about it yet.

During her latest appearance on Show Me Something, Sophie Cunningham & West Wilson, she was asked if she could ever see herself becoming a “cardio person” after she is done playing basketball. And her response might catch you off guard.

She said, “I have always thought that you have to be mentally ill to do any type of marathon. That’s just how I feel. But I have an awesome friend out here. Her name is Amy. And she does the Hawaii. There’s like a Honolulu marathon every year around December. And Hawaii is my happy place. So I was like, ‘Heck yeah!’ But my leg is not ready for it this year. So, I’m actually doing a full marathon next year, and I’m trying to get Lindsay, my sister, to do it, too.”

Cunningham likely would’ve joined the marathon this year if the Indiana Fever star hadn’t suffered from a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) in her right knee during a collision with Bria Hartley of the Connecticut Sun, which got her sidelined from the 2025 WNBA season. Wilson, shocked, asked what every coach might be wondering: “Respectfully, do your coaches and trainers know this?” Cunningham quickly replied, “No, it’ll be out of season. It’ll be in December.”

When Wilson reminded her that marathon training usually takes months, she doubled down with her trademark humor.  “Here’s my thing. I’m going to. This is probably so wrong, but again, I said I’m mentally ill. I said I would do this, so that’s already a huge problem,” Sophie Cunningham joked. “This is why I think I’m going to be able to do it, because I’m going to be right out of season. So I’m already going to be in really great shape, and then it’s Hawaii. So if I get tired or whatever, I’m just going to walk and look at the ocean and look at the mountains. I’ll be fine. I’m not gonna run the whole thing.”

Only Cunningham could call marathoners “mentally ill” and still sign up for one herself. But now that her secret is out on the internet, it’s only a matter of time before her coaches and trainers find out, and who knows how they’ll react when they do.

“She Back” Sophie Cunningham shares major injury update

The 6-foot and 1-inch star recently took to her Instagram Stories to share a major update on her road to recovery. In her Instagram stories, Cunningham uploaded a video of herself running on a treadmill for the first time since undergoing MCL surgery. Announcing her progress, she captioned it with, “She back🏃🏼‍♀️.”

Sophie Cunningham is steadily making her way back to full form, and fans who barely got to see her play last season are eager for her return to the court. However, her future remains uncertain. With free agency looming this offseason, it’s unclear whether she’ll be back wearing a Fever jersey.

And while it’s still not confirmed if she will play for Fever or not, a hint from her has everyone wondering. “I think the next team I play for, I want a bigger contract, so then I can buy a house and be homey and cozy,” Cunningham said to her co-host.

With her comeback already in motion and free agency around the corner, it looks like Sophie Cunningham is aiming for a fresh and better start.