Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham balances WNBA career and nutrition

While fans are accustomed to seeing what professional basketball players do on the court, they aren’t always aware of the off the court, behind the scenes [work] that goes into maintaining a career. A big part of that is having proper nutrition and a working meal plan on a daily basis. You can’t always just eat whatever you want when you’re in the WNBA. For Sophie Cunningham of the Phoenix Mercury, she’s been able to find a good balance through her partnership with Quest Nutrition.

Sophie Cunningham’s partnership with Quest began through a friend and what initially drew her to the company was their family-oriented background and how their care towards her as a professional athlete. It’s something not always easy to find when to comes to company sponsorships.

What she’s been able to find though is a reliable partner whom she can trust to help her take care of her body and eat properly to maintain her WNBA career. Before Cunningham was drafted by the Mercury with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, she wasn’t always aware of what she ate. As many can relate, she often consisted on a steady diet of McDonalds, Taco Bell and a whole bunch of sweets. But as her pro career began to take off, she realized that she needed a change.

“Your body is a machine and you have to treat it like that at an elite level. For me that’s a lot of protein and this is why this relationship works out so great is because I still like my sweets. I still kind of like my junk food. . .you have to have a great balance and Quest allowed you have those products but in a healthier way,” Cunningham told ClutchPoints. “What you put in your body is very important, so my message is I’ve been there. I’ve kind of grown and matured. . .I still like to have my cheat days and what not but making sure you put your body in a good position, what you’re putting into it is just as important as working out and the mental side of everything as well.”

Proper nutrition is especially important for WNBA players considering the fact that they’re always on the move. Extended road trips across the country can be grueling. Being able to stop and get a proper meal is something that can be fleeting and tough to do. Even when players are at home, there’s always practices and workouts and whatnot throughout the grind of the regular season.

What’s been incredibly beneficial for Sophie Cunningham is the types of products she’s been able to consume through Quest. The company has expanded their menu to include other products such as bags of chips and crackers to go alongside their standard nutrition bars. When she’s on the move with the Mercury, Cunningham has been able to pop in a quick protein bar or a bag of hot and spicy chips to hold her over until she can grab a proper meal.

“Just being prepared, just having a little protein bar in your bag, have it in your car, have it really wherever you’re going to be the majority of…