Sophie Cunningham is just three games into her WNBA career and already Phoenix Mercury fans are wondering.

What’s up with the rolled up shorts?

Cunningham has been explaining this since her early college days at Missouri and is happy to do so again.

“My freshman year of college I actually pulled my hamstring and groin,” she says. “Everyone wears compressions underneath, but they gave me special compressions to help me out.

“I hate the long shots because of my sweat they just ride up. So with those short compression shorts, they weren’t long enough so I just started tucking them. I was like ‘wow I really like how my legs feel free and all that’. That’s really the story.

“I know it’s kind of crazy. It looks like a diaper some say and some people think it’s ugly, but I like the old shorts. I like the shorter shorts and I like the girlier look.”

Cunningham is well aware she is a throwback to the NBA era of shorter shorts, which Michael Jordan changed but John Stockton styled through two Olympics and until the end of his Utah Jazz career in 2003.

“I’ve had a lot of people ask ‘did you get it from them?’ No, I didn’t but it kind of does look like it,” Cunningham said. “But they’re getting shorter and shorter for the girls who want them.The girls around Missouri who follow, now they’re all tucking in their shorts. It’s kind of been a trend back home.

“The thing is I couldn’t go back to wearing long shorts any more just because I liked the feel of having freedom on my legs. So it stuck.”

Cunningham played 12 minutes Thursday at Minnesota, scoring her first professional points on a 3-pointer in a 58-56 loss. She is averaging three rebounds per game in limited minutes.

“The shots aren’t falling yet, but I’m not worried about that,” she says. “I can get offensive boards, I can communicate. Things that might not be in the box score, I can still be effective on the court somehow. That’s all I’m really worrying about is just owning where I’m at.

“Part of your role is not knowing,” when she will be needed. “You have to be comfortable with it.

“We have some good rookies, but it’s still a very high level game that we’re not used to quite yet. But things are starting to slow down for us so it’s getting better. We’re going to have to hold our own out there when we do have three games in six days.”

The Mercury (1-2) try again for their first road win Sunday at Indiana, off to a surprising 3-1 start, before playing at Chicago on Tuesday. 

Up next

Mercury at Indiana Fever, 1 p.m. Sunday, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, NBA-TV — The Mercury (1-2) lost 58-56 Thursday at Minnesota, their fewest points since 2015. The Fever (3-1) beat Dallas 79-64 on Friday off double-doubles from C Natalie Achonwa and former Mercury F Candice Dupree.

More: Yvonne Turner happy for EuroBasket opportunity, but Phoenix Mercury come first

More: DeWanna Bonner drops 25, but Mercury fall to Lynx in Minnesota

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8053. Follow him on Twitter @jeffmetcalfe.

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