Philadelphia Eagles running back A.J. Dillon has become a huge fan of WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, it seems. He even recently bragged about picking up her jersey.
It’s not because she’s simply the teammate of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, but rather, due to Cunningham’s willingness to fiercely defend her teammate during a game.
Dillon, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, recently spoke to Fox News Digital and revealed he was on board with the blonde bombshell “like all the fans who became fans a week ago” when Cunningham took on the role of enforcer for the league’s top star.
He calls Cunningham his “new favorite player” after watching her go head-to-head with an opponent who delivered a hard foul on Clark.
Dillon even bragged on X about buying her jersey.
Sophie Cunningham’s Play is Inspiring
Sophie Cunningham appears to have snuck up a bit on basketball fans, but she shouldn’t have. She’s been breaking necks with her pre-game “bombshell” outfits from day one in the league.
this week a hot new bombshell enters the villa pic.twitter.com/iNaeMPcjv2
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 27, 2024
She also forewarned the rest of the league when joining Caitlin Clark and the Fever squad that she intended to protect her teammate.
“Just to be alongside of her and maybe relieve the pressure, being able to shoot and spread the court for her to go do her thing,” she said at the time. “I want her to go do her thing, and anything she needs from me, I’m gonna be here.”
“I stick up for my teammates. I stick up for myself.”
She got the opportunity to prove herself by delivering a retaliatory foul on Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, who had poked Clark in the eye, and prompted teammate Marina Mabrey to slam Cunningham’s teammate to the floor. Sophie was ejected from the game.
Things were HEATED between the Sun and Fever tonight 😳
-Caitlin Clark T'd up
-Marina Mabrey T'd up
-Jacy Sheldon assessed flagrant
-Sophie Cunningham ejected pic.twitter.com/CUnso6z4a9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 18, 2025
Cunningham has since skyrocketed in popularity, recently celebrating a milestone of over 1 million followers on TikTok.
RELATED: Sophie Cunningham Celebrates 1 Million Followers With Dance Video After Defending Caitlin Clark
AJ Dillon is Team Sophie
Sophie Cunningham also skyrocketed in popularity with the Eagles running back, a man with the nickname ‘Quadzilla.’ While everyone is focused on the star player, Dillion appreciates the grunt work of the team enforcer.
“Caitlin Clark’s obviously the best player on that team, arguably the best player in the WNBA, if not the best,” he explained to Fox. “You got your star player, they’re drawing a little bit, but think about it like the quarterback. That’s our quarterback, we’re gonna make sure she’s protected.”
“If somebody pushes Jalen Hurts, everybody’s gonna be in there. I respected that, being there for the team.”
Dillon says he intends to sport his new Sophie jersey while on a boat on the 4th of July.
“I’m a fan, I like that approach to the game, and just being a tough player for the team, not letting anybody push your teammates around, I like that,” he concluded.
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Rusty Weiss is a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys, and Xavier Musketeers fan. He has been writing professionally ... More about Rusty Weiss