Sophie Cunningham hits the WNBA for not protecting Caitlyn Clark
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Indiana Fever Star Sophie Cunningham I threw a jab at the WNBA and its referees on Saturday.
While talking to reporters about her fiery teammate’s physical defense Kate Rinklerk Against Connecticut Sunplayer on Tuesday, Cunningham called out the league to “not protect” Clark during Phenom’s young WNBA career.
Indiana Feverguard Sophie Cunningham (8) and Connecticut Sunguard Jacee Sheldon (4) will take part in the fight in the second half at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis on June 17, 2025. (Trevor ruszkowski/image image)
Cunningham became a viral sensation last week after committing a hard foul on Sunguard Jacee Sheldon, who saw Clark early in the game. The brawl between the teams continued with Cunningham, in the heart of Indiana. Cunningham, Sheldon and Sunguard Lindsay Allen were kicked out of the game with about 40 seconds remaining before the heat won.
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“In the meantime, it was just part of the game. I think refs had a lot to do with it. It was their accumulation over the years that didn’t protect the WNBA star players,” Cunningham said. “At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates, and that’s what I do.”
Clark’s lack of equal protection by the referee has been one of the WNBA’s biggest criticisms since joining the league last year.
Clark’s rookie year in 2024 included several controversial cases where Clark was ravaged by conflicting players. Sometimes the referee couldn’t foul, spark fans’ wrath.
This season, New York Liberty lost May 24th, with Clark reaching out from New York’s Natasha Cloud on the final play of the game. The referee didn’t call for a foul, urged Clark to raise his hands in confusion, and she and Cunningham barked the referee when the game was over.
Indiana Feverguard Sophie Cunningham (8) and Connecticut Sunguard Jacee Sheldon (4) brawled late in the WNBA basketball game held in Indianapolis on June 17, 2025. (AP photo/Michael Conroy)
In the replay, Cloud pushed her shoulder into Clark’s moment, showing the moment when the ball loosened. The fever dropped twice, and the foul sent Clark to the free throw line, giving him a chance to win the game.
Cunningham, in her opinion, takes matters into her own hands to punish players who become too physical with Clark. And Cunningham also appears to have the judge on his toes.
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Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah has built a reputation as an “executor” during his career, protecting young Derrick Rose. Talking to Fox News Digital In September he urged players to urge fever to protect Clark in 2025.
“If I were the owner of Indiana Fever, I would have a real enforcer there to protect her,” Noah told Fox News Digital.
“Sometimes, it feels like she’s been hit because she’s such a talented person. …But at the end of the day, we’re in the business of winning games, so if I’m the owner (of Indiana Fever), I’m getting a real enforcer out there.”
Who is Sophie Cunningham?
Indiana Feverguard Sophie Cunningham will take photos before his match against Chicago Sky on May 17, 2025, and before his match against Chicago Sky on May 17, 2025. (Grace Smith/Imagn image via Indystar)
Cunningham has become a folk hero for many, and her popularity has skyrocketed for several days since the fight.
Before Tuesday’s game, Cunningham had less than 400,000 followers in Tiktok.
At the time of publication, she had 1.2 million people on Tiktok, but that number is growing.
Since the game, she has estimated her followers on Instagram as well, with a total of over 800,000 people increasing at the time of publication.
With Cunningham’s acquisition of the fever nickname “The Enforcer,” fans can learn that she is a black belt in Taekwondo’s Korean martial arts.
She won a black belt at the age of six.
Her father Jim played soccer at the University of Missouri, and she followed her father’s footsteps on the soccer field.
a Articles from 2014 By Columbia, the Missourian reported that Cunningham was the first woman in history to score points on the team.
Cunningham handled the kickoff task.
“I was very nervous,” Cunningham told the outlet. “I mean, I’ve never played soccer before. When I got the ball (at the opening kickoff), I couldn’t hear anything. I put it down and kicked it.”
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Cunningham comes from a farmer and credit family who grew up for the person she is today. Five-part feature series According to the University of Missouri.
“A lot of our success goes back to what we learned here,” Cunningham said he works on the farm. “We loved coming out on the farm to help. We worked hard and found a way to work together. It made us stronger.”
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