Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s popularity soared over the last week after her retaliatory foul on Connecticut Sun player Jacy Sheldon. The moment she tussled with Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, who had poked Caitlin Clark in the eye earlier in the game, she became an instant sensation. Cunningham had previously gone viral before for her outfit choices while she was with the Phoenix Mercury. However, even she may admit that she never saw her popularity soar as it did over the last six days.
On Saturday, Cunningham surpassed more than 1 million followers on TikTok and thanked her newfound fans for their appreciation. “should buy yall a beer or 2! Cheeeers friends,” she captioned a video. As of Tuesday morning, Cunningham had 1.4 million TikTok followers. Cunningham gained huge favor for her apparent defense of Clark, who was not only poked in the face, but pushed to the floor in the team’s win over the Sun.
She was fined for her actions following the foul on Sheldon and for the ejection, but she was adamant in her defense of Clark. “During that, it was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build-up for a couple years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA,” Cunningham told reporters days after the team lost to the Golden State Valkyries. “At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates. That’s what I do.” Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces, Cunningham showed off her bond with Clark and fellow teammate Lexie Hull. She wore a shirt that read, “Tres Leches.” Cunningham and the Fever have hit a losing spell the last two games but have an opportunity to get back on the right track Tuesday night against the Seattle Storm.