Sophie Cunningham has gained a lot of popularity because of the way she stuck up for Caitlin Clark during a recent game, and the Indiana Fever guard says she was taking a stand against the officials as well.
There were several heated confrontations involving Clark and other players during the Fever’s 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night. Clark and Sun guard Jacy Sheldon first got into it early in the second quarter and again later in the game when Clark was hit in the face by Sheldon, retaliated and then was shoved to the floor.
With less than a minute left in the game, Cunningham dragged Sheldon to the ground on a meaningless fastbreak opportunity. Cunningham, Sheldon and another player were ejected.
Cunningham was asked on Sunday about the spirited game. She said WNBA officials have not done a good job of protecting Clark over the past two seasons.
“It was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a buildup for couple of years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA,” Cunningham said. “At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates. That’s what I do, and I’m a team player.”
Cunningham has seen a huge spike in jersey sales since Tuesday’s game, which shows how much fans appreciated the way she got Clark’s back.
Cunningham spent the first six seasons of her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury. She was traded to the Fever in a four-team deal in January and has quickly developed a close relationship with Clark off the court.
