Indiana Fever Spark Strong Response With Sophie Cunningham Post on Tuesday
The Indiana Fever were not shy about using Sophie Cunningham as the poster girl ahead of their high-profile grudge match against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night at TD Garden in Boston.
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The season series is tied 1-1, with the teams splitting the first two matchups in Indianapolis. The Sun won 85-83 on May 30, while Fever guard Caitlin Clark was out with a quad injury.
Clark returned for the second matchup on June 17, but Fever guard Sophie Cunningham became the main character for defending her superstar teammate in the 88-71 win for Indiana.
The scrappy game included dust-ups between Clark and Sun players Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey. In the final minutes of the game, it culminated in a hard retaliation foul by Cunningham on Sheldon, and both were ejected from the game.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever.Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Cunningham received a reported $400 fine from the WNBA for the late-game incident, but she was not suspended. The punishment was outweighed by the overnight popularity she gained on social media for acting as Clark's "enforcer."
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In the wake of the incident, she became one of the most recognizable players in the WNBA, passing 1 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. When it came time for the Fever to decide who would be on the gameday graphic before the Sun game on Tuesday, only one choice was going to please the fans.
"Admin cooking a little bit here," said the a popular reply on X. "Liking the spiciness."
"Yeeeessss," praised another. "Admin with some energy today.... I'm here for it."
"Spicy Sophie!!" wrote a response. "Perfect teammate for this game cover."
Others hailed the choice "messy" and "based."
"I see you admin, I see you," wrote one pleased fan.
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Cunningham is coming off her two best scoring games of the season in back-to-back wins for Indiana. The veteran guard put up 13 points against the Dallas Wings on Sunday and a season-high 16 points against the Atlanta Dream on Friday, shooting a combined 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.
"I'm not focused on the extracurricular activities," Cunningham said after being thrown out of the previous chippy contest with the Sun. "At the end of the day, I'm gonna protect my teammates. That's what I do. I'm a team player."
Related: Sophie Cunningham's Outfit Makes Statement on Sunday
Related: Indiana Fever President Deletes Account Hours Before Friday Night Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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