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Sophie Cunningham has become one of the most talked-about names in the WNBA over the past year, and most of that conversation has nothing to do with points per game. Endorsement deals, podcasts, magazine covers, all of it arrived fast once her name went viral.
Caitlin Clark sees something different when she looks at her teammate. In an ESPN profile published this week by Hallie Grossman, Clark explained exactly why Cunningham matters to the Fever, and it has nothing to do with social media followers.
“Every single team in this league would probably kill to have a player like that,” Clark said.
That comment traces back to a single moment from last season. Cunningham wrapped up Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon from behind late in a blowout win, retaliation after Sheldon poked Clark in the eye earlier in the game. Cunningham was ejected. Her career changed almost immediately after.
Clark broke down why the moment resonated so widely.
“She’s gonna be out there fighting and scrapping,” Clark said. It’s a simple line, but it captures why Fever fans latched onto Cunningham the way they did.
Cunningham has since pushed back on the label that followed her.
“I am not the enforcer,” she told Grossman. “I am not a bodyguard. I am just going to do whatever the team needs. And if my teammates need me to stick up for them, I will do that.”
She added that it just happened to be Clark that night. It could have been Kelsey Mitchell or Aliyah Boston, and her response would have looked the same. In an act of courage, she claimed that she wouldn’t be changing her play style from the fear of the suspension.
She also revealed what happened after the Sheldon altercation. Clark walked into the locker room and told her, “About time.”
How Caitlin Clark’s Locker Room Endorsement Changed Everything
Google searches for Cunningham jumped 800% in the four days after the Sheldon incident, according to ESPN’s reporting. Her TikTok following grew from roughly 300,000 to 1.4 million within a week, and she now sits at 3.2 million. A Ring partnership followed soon after, along with a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue appearance, a UFC 329 ring girl gig and her own Adidas shoe colorway.
WNBA analyst Jemele Hill weighed in on the phenomenon during a recent podcast appearance, noting how unusual it is for a career 8-point scorer to command this level of attention. She pointed to Cunningham’s personality and her reputation as Clark’s protector as real factors, calling her “very aware of being a media darling right now.”
Cunningham doesn’t dispute any of it. She’s said she is intentionally building a brand while she still has a platform, telling the Sons and Daughters podcast that players need to think about life after the league.
“I know that if you use this platform, once the ball stops bouncing, you’re setting yourself up for success,” she said. “The players need to start doing that because we don’t make enough money.”
None of the outside noise has slowed her down on the floor. Cunningham is averaging 9.4 points on a career-best 43.7% from three, her highest scoring output in three seasons despite starting just three of Indiana’s 25 games. Fever coach Stephanie White has called her fearlessness “contagious.”
Cunningham may keep rejecting the enforcer label every chance she gets. Clark’s comments make clear that inside the Fever locker room, nobody’s arguing the point. A player willing to shoot, defend and step in without hesitation is exactly what turned her into one of the league’s most valuable role players, viral fame or not.
