Sep 18, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham (hat) reacts after The Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream during game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Sophie Cunningham's Emphatic Fever Bench Gesture Goes Viral

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 1:48 PM ET

The Indiana Fever are facing elimination from the 2025 WNBA playoffs when they take on the Las Vegas Aces on September 28.

While the Fever managed to steal Game 1 against the Aces on the road in this WNBA Semifinals series, they lost Game 2 on Las Vegas' home court, then also dropped a pivotal Game 3 in Indianapolis. Therefore, this squad will need to win two straight games against the league's No. 2 seed to advance to the Finals.

If there's any silver lining to this, it's that Indiana was in the same position in the first round. This is because they lost Game 1 of a best-of-three game series against the Atlanta Dream before rallying to win two straight games, one of which was on the road. So they've persevered with their backs against the wall already this postseason, and will look to do so again on Sunday.

In fact, there's a case to be made that the Fever have had their backs against the wall all season long, particularly when it comes to the injuries they've had to navigate. Among these are superstar point guard Caitlin Clark (who played in just 13 games this year), Clark's backups Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, along with star guard Sophie Cunningham, all of whom are out for this season with lower-body injuries.

The Fever's long list of inactive players still makes their presence felt on the bench during games, as all of them are enthusiastic and passionate when rooting on their teammates.

Sophie Cunningham's Bench Move Turns Heads During Fever Game

While Fever fans love seeing these injured players celebrating and supporting their team, one thing Cunningham did during the Fever's Game 3 defeat to the Aces sparked some controversy.

X user @faithelynnn posted a fan's TikTok video of Cunningham reacting to a play during the game, where she pointed at Las Vegas guard Jackie Young and did an emphatic "block" foul motion. Her and Caitlin Clark then signaled that the call on the play should be replayed.

The video then shows Fever assistant coach Briann January appear to say something to Clark and Cunningham (presumably something to calm them down), and Cunningham looks to brush her off.

Oh? This is …. pic.twitter.com/slaxjKfNAm
— faith ‍♀️ (@faithelynnn) September 28, 2025

This X post has nearly 3 million views in 16 or so hours, and has been reposted on many other accounts. Fans are taking issue with Cunningham being over the top with her gesture, along with how she handled the exchange from January.

However, perhaps fans shouldn't jump to conclusions about a video that lacks so much context.

This article first appeared on Indiana Fever on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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