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Indiana Fever prima Sophie Cunningham has go the second-most fashionable WNBA subordinate among galore circles of fans successful caller days aft aggressively protecting teammate Caitlin Clark from players who deed her.
During a crippled against the Connecticut Sun connected Tuesday, Cunningham started a brawl betwixt the 2 teams aft respective carnal plays against Clark.
Cunningham's persona and popularity skyrocketed successful the days that followed, arsenic she is dilatory becoming an icon among the WNBA's newer fans.
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Cunningham's follower number connected societal media has rapidly multiplied
June 17, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham (8) successful the 2nd fractional against the Connecticut Sun astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
Prior to Tuesday's game, Cunningham had less than 400,000 followers connected TikTok.
At the clip of publication, she has 1.2 cardinal connected TikTok and that fig is lone growing.
She has an estimated summation of much than 300,000 followers connected Instagram since the crippled arsenic well, with a full of much than 800,000 astatine the clip of publication.
Sportico estimates that her summation successful followers could beryllium worthy implicit $1 million.
"It’s unprecedented growth," Addison Abdo, who represents Cunningham arsenic a elder manager astatine sports absorption bureau PRP, told the outlet. "We enactment with immoderate beauteous large athletes that person gone viral for immoderate beauteous large things, but this has been thing that I haven’t seen before—this benignant of maturation successful this abbreviated magnitude of clip … was precise caller territory."
Cunningham comes from a household of confederate farmers
A five-part diagnostic series by Cunningham's alma mater, the University of Missouri, recounted her family's confederate workplace roots.
Cunningham learned to thrust horses and drove four-wheelers to the family's atom silos.
"So overmuch of our occurrence goes backmost to what we learned here," Cunningham said of moving connected the farm. "We loved coming retired to the workplace to help. We recovered retired however to enactment hard and enactment together. It made america workplace strong."
Cunningham adjacent had a peculiar sanction for her husbandman grandparents: "Maw Maw and Paw Paw."
Cunningham played shot with boys successful precocious school
Cunningham was calved into a household of athletes, arsenic her parents, Jim and Paula Cunningham, each played sports astatine the University of Missouri. Her begetter played football, and her parent competed successful way and field.
So Sophie ended up successful sports close away.
She played girls' hoops and volleyball astatine Rock Bridge High School successful Missouri, but adjacent ended up pursuing successful her dad's footsteps connected the shot field.
A 2014 article by the Columbia Missourian reported that Cunningham was the archetypal pistillate to ever people immoderate points for the squad successful history, erstwhile she kicked 2 of 4 other points successful spot of the team's regular kicker, who had suffered a torn ACL.
Cunningham adjacent handled kick-off duties.
"I was truthful nervous," Cunningham told the outlet. "I mean, I've ne'er played shot earlier successful each my life. Right erstwhile I got the shot (on the opening kickoff), I couldn't perceive anything. I conscionable enactment the shot down and kicked it."
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Cunningham has been capable to combat since she was a precise young child
With Cunningham earning the nickname "the enforcer" for the Fever, fans counting connected her to support Caitlin Clark tin instrumentality assurance successful knowing she is simply a achromatic loop successful the Korean martial creation of Taekwondo.
She earned the achromatic loop astatine conscionable the tender property of six.
Cunningham's martial arts acquisition earned the affection of ESPN big Pat McAfee.
"It feels similar Caitlin Clark is going to get treated successful a definite mode successful this league for a agelong time. She's not a rookie anymore. She has already proved herself. She has won. And past determination was immoderate ladies past nighttime that were trying to get a small physical," McAfee said during an occurrence of his amusement Wednesday.
May 17, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA: Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham (8) poses for a photograph connected Saturday, May 17, 2025, earlier a crippled betwixt the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (Grace Smith- Imagn Images via IndyStar)
"And past year, I deliberation thing we noticed... erstwhile Caitlin would get bullied, cipher would bash nothing... They bring successful Sophie Cunningham, I had nary thought Sophie Cunningham was a achromatic loop astatine the property of six! Boom! 'Jacy Sheldon, that's cute. You privation to poke [Clark] successful the eye?... I'll instrumentality a take-foul, and you'll devour the platform a small spot here.'"
Cunningham was erstwhile criticized for wearing a chapeau that resembled a MAGA hat
Back successful June of past year, Cunningham posted a photograph of herself wearing a reddish chapeau with achromatic substance connected societal media, and swarms of critics rushed to talk retired against her for perceived enactment of Donald Trump.
June 17, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham (8) and Connecticut Sun defender Jacy Sheldon (4) get into a combat successful the 2nd fractional astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
However, the chapeau simply said "Hot Cowgirl Summer."
Cunningham's squad astatine the time, the Phoenix Mercury, adjacent had to marque a station from the authoritative squad relationship to clarify what the chapeau said.
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OutKick has previously reported that Cunningham has been regularly criticized by WNBA fans who person nicknamed her "MAGA Barbie."
Cunningham's authoritative governmental views are unknown.
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Jackson Thompson is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He antecedently worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
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