This former Mizzou basketball star reportedly believes she’s had COVID-19 ... twice
Missouri Tigers basketball legend Sophie Cunningham said she believes that she has contracted COVID-19 not once but twice since cases started skyrocketing in the U.S.
Cunningham, readying for her second WNBA season with the Phoenix Mercury, told the Arizona Republic she thinks she contracted the virus while playing in the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia.
“They say you can only get it once, but now they’re saying you can get it twice,” Cunningham told The Republic. “Even when I tested positive, they said, ‘We’re seeing a jump in people testing positive who have already had it.’”
The 23-year-old is currently preparing for the WNBA season in Bradenton, Florida. The league plans to play a modified 22-game schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to other professional leagues like the NBA and MLS, WNBA players are going to be staying in a bubble on the IMG Academy campus.
The WNBA season tips off July 25. Cunningham was back at the Mercury’s practice Thursday in preparation for the season.
Cunningham, Missouri’s all-time leading scorer with 2,187 points, played with the Melbourne Boomers during the 2019-20 season before returning to the U.S. She said she began experiencing symptoms that she believed were related to the novel coronavirus in March.
After her first bout with the disease, Cunningham tested positive for it in mid-June. That’s why she reported late to the WNBA bubble in Florida.
“I didn’t feel anything for the first couple of days, then it hit me,” she said. “The doctor told me I can’t exercise because there’s a muscle in your heart that if inflamed it could be pretty bad news. I followed what they said.”
Cunningham played her rookie year with the Mercury after being selected No. 13 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft. She averaged 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds last season.
Cunningham helped coach Robin Pingeton’s Tigers reach four straight NCAA Tournaments.
“A lot of people don’t think it’s a real thing,” Cunningham said of COVID-19. “I can honestly say that if you are older or have pre-existing breathing issues, I could see how it could affect you pretty poorly. It is a real thing, and it’s important people still take precaution. People need to take it seriously.”