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How One On-Court Confrontation Changed Fever's Sophie Cunningham's Career

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 7:09 PM ET

Near the end of the Indiana Fever's June 17 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory against the Connecticut Sun, things got chippy between Indiana's Sophie Cunningham and Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon.

With under a minute left in the game, Cunningham nearly tackled Sheldon in what many considered to be a form of retaliation for Sheldon poking Caitlin Clark in the eye earlier in the game.

While it led to Cunningham getting ejected, it also changed her life in a way, as she revealed on her new podcast "Show Me Something."

Sophie Cunningham's Rise in Popularity

"I went from 200,000 on TikTok before the fight and I had like 350,000 on Instagram," Cunning said. "Over the night, over a million on both. Insane"

Although she gained hundreds of thousands of fans, she did admit that she was fatigued from seeing herself in the video.

"This is coming from me, though, dude," Cunningham said. "I got tired of seeing myself. And I love myself."

Caitlin Clark's Rivalry With Jacy Sheldon

Although it may feel like a distant memory, Clark and Sheldon also got into it during their careers at Iowa and Ohio State, with the most notable incident seeing Clark hitting Sheldon in the chest after they got tangled up.

So, when Sheldon got extremely physical with Clark in the second quarter and then poked her in the eye in the third quarter, it became evident that the two former Big Ten stars still might have some animosity for one another.

Sophie Cunningham Protects Caitlin Clark

While Cunningham was likely acquired via trade over the offseason by the Fever for her shooting, she has emerged as an enforcer for the team and somewhat of a protector of Clark. She has gotten chippy on behalf of Clark on multiple occasions and is frequently credited with protecting the face of the WNBA.

On the year, she is averaging 7.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game, while hitting 40% of her threes.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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