Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) against the Phoenix Mercury during an WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Sophie Cunningham Fires Back at Fan Calling Out Constant Caitlin Clark Mentions

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Dec 6, 2025 11:27 AM ET

There's no question that Sophie Cunningham has experienced a massive boom in popularity during her 2025 WNBA season with the Indiana Fever. A large chunk of this boom came after Cunningham defended her Indiana Fever teammate, Caitlin Clark, by throwing Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon to the ground shortly after Sheldon shoved Clark in a June 17 game.

Cunningham and Sheldon were both ejected because of this moment, which incited a brief brawl between the Fever and the Sun. Cunningham earned a lot of praise from fans for acting as Clark's enforcer, and while she was fined $400 for her actions, a June 20 article from Sportico showed how her value skyrocketed in the wake of this ejection, earning back that $400 and much more.

The article noted that Cunningham added 700,000 followers on TikTok and more than 244,000 newcomers on Instagram just three days after the incident. This growth equated to about $1 million in terms of what a brand would pay for that amount of growth, and Cunningham capitalized on this through several brand deals, one of which directly referenced her scuffle with Sheldon.

Cunningham now has over 1.3 million Instagram followers, adding about 600,000 since that ejection heard around the world. Much of this is owed to her proximity to Clark, as the social media traction she gleaned from shoving Sheldon came because of who she was defending.

Sophie Cunningham Claps Back at Fan Over Caitlin Clark Mention

Cunningham is surely aware that her relationship with Clark has influenced her own popularity and attention. And this is why it behooves her to keep speaking about Clark.

The most recent example of her doing so came during a December 4 episode of her Show Me Something podcast, when Cunningham conveyed that she tried to convince Clark to play in the new Project B women's basketball league.

"I tried to get [Clark] to play in this [league], and she was like, 'No!'" Cunningham said when speaking about her joining Project B.

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It seems that Cunningham might be tired of the narrative that she's milking her relationship with Clark for clout. But that probably won't stop her from speaking about CC.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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