‘ridiculous Efficiency,’ ‘in Her 8th Season Btw’ — Wnba World Has Mixed Feelings Over Sophie Cunningham’s Career Scoring Milestone

Sophie Cunningham bounced back from one of her worst games of the season as the Indiana Fever took care of business against the shorthanded Minnesota Lynx 96-77 on Tuesday.

In doing so, the eight-year veteran achieved a career scoring milestone, reaching 2,000 points. However, the accomplishment divided WNBA fans, with some questioning its significance at this stage of her career.

Sophie Cunningham’s 2,000-Point Milestone Leaves WNBA World at Odds

Cunningham has never been known as a high-volume scorer, instead carving out a role as an enforcer and one of the WNBA’s premier 3-point snipers, playing alongside stars Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell in Indiana.

Still, the 30-year-old has become one of the league’s most recognizable faces, with her outspoken nature regarding hot-button topics raising her national profile and making her a target of frequent criticism.

After going scoreless while logging a season-low 7 minutes in Sunday’s 93-77 home letdown against the Washington Mystics, some speculated that Cunningham was in Fever coach Stephanie White’s doghouse over comments she made about the team’s grueling practice habits.

Cunningham was given a far longer leash against Minnesota, though, recording 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 3-pointers on 4-for-7 shooting (57.1%) in 29 minutes. Her timely buckets helped Indiana gain separation against the No. 1-seeded squad operating without rookie phenom Olivia Miles (calf), which opted to bench its starters as the score got out of hand.

Cunningham’s 11 points pushed her to 2,004 for her career across 254 outings, good for an average of 7.9 points per game. The Fever didn’t hesitate to celebrate the feat, congratulating the bench standout on X.

The post sparked a mix of praise and pushback. Some commended Cunningham for thriving in her role.

“Sophie Cunningham has 2,000 career points on ridiculous efficiency for her career,” one fan raved, adding, “Sophie Cunningham just hit 2,000 career points tonight against the Lynx. She is 9th in WNBA history in true shooting percentage. She is a 50% career 3-point shooter in the playoffs. People don’t talk about her efficiency enough.”

“She’s been playing great! Brings the energy, offense, and does the little but necessary things. She’s accelerating into the playoffs,” another applauded.

“Imagine how many points she would have if we had a better coach!” one user mused.

Others were less than impressed by how long it took Cunningham to cross the 2,000-point threshold.

“That’s about 2 seasons for A’ja Wilson. But congrats, Sophie. They’re trading or releasing your [expletive] at the end of the season!” one fan asserted.

“She’s in her 8th season btw,” another pointed out.

Regardless, the Fever will need Cunningham to keep knocking down open shots at a high rate in the playoffs as Clark and Co. seek to make a deep run.

MORE:‘Doing It All,’ ‘Obvious MVP’ — WNBA World Sings Caitlin Clark’s Praises As Fever Star Caps Off Historic 5-Game Stretch vs. Lynx

After Tuesday’s decisive victory, Indiana remains in fifth place in the league standings at 28-15, one game behind the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream (29-14). The Fever have one game left on their schedule: a road rematch against the Lynx (32-11) on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.