Sophie Cunningham has been the “enforcer” every Indiana Fever fan wants, especially when she defended Caitlin Clark during their heated brawl with the Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon last June 17. Late in that game, Cunningham brutally shoved Sheldon, causing her to get ejected.
Cunningham, who arrived at the Fever this offseason, became the team’s solution when Clark was doubled down too much on the court. That exactly happened against Sheldon, when Clark got poked in the eye, then shoved to the floor by Marina Mabrey. While Cunningham wasn’t on the floor that time, she knew the Sun’s actions would never go unpunished.
On that game’s final stretch, Cunningham stopped Sheldon’s drive, and the two arguably had a more heated fight, leading her to get a flagrant-2.
Speaking on Thursday’s episode of her new “Show Me Something” podcast, Sophie Cunningham didn’t flinch, revealing Clark’s reaction.
“I was [sticking up for Clark],” Cunningham said. “But in the locker room she goes, I think she was like, ‘Finally! Finally someone else [stands up for me].’ I was like, ‘Dude I got you.'”
“But I think that kind of had our team come together as a whole, and it really was (awesome). I feel like everyone was like, ‘We do have to protect each other.'”
“In the locker room she goes….. Finally!” Yea Sophie me too 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/S6KBim80B2
— Gaby 🙂 (@ouatdemii) July 30, 2025
Sophie Cunningham was clear on people trying to attack Clark or the Indiana Fever: she’s hunting them, and she won’t hold back. And these gained her tons of support, primarily from Clark’s fans, knowing Cunningham is the necessary “enforcer” to protect Clark, which many claim is blatantly targeted due to her undeniable impact in the WNBA.
Sophie Cunningham reveals how her former team planned on roughing Caitlin Clark
Also on the same episode of “Show Me Something,” Sophie Cunningham peeled back the curtain—sharing how her former team, the Phoenix Mercury, plotted to rough up Caitlin Clark, who was a rookie then.
“You have seen players in our league trying to toughen up Caitlin. Even when I wasn’t on her team, I know the talks Phoenix had in the locker room. Like, ‘We are gonna show her what the W really is,'” she said. “It’s her second year, and now being on her team and seeing it, I’m like ‘What are people doing?’ It’s too much.”
Sophie Cunningham also pointed out to Clark’s critics who don’t believe that she’s the face of the WNBA, saying that these people are “ignorant” and are clueless about how Clark changed the league into what it is now.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
