Sophie Cunningham takes her own approach during the national anthem
Sophie Cunnigham
Sophie Cunningham has never been shy about taking on the role of an agitator, and the Indiana Fever guard says now she has mastered the art of getting inside her opponents’ heads.
During an episode of The Colin Cowherd podcast, Cunningham discussed that side of her personality while she spoke about the viral finger-point confrontation with DeWanna Bonner.
What started as a heated moment during the Phoenix Mercury game ultimately became one of Cunningham’s most recognizable moments.
“I am just sassy, and I don’t give a flying F. Just who I am. And so I’ve kind of mastered getting in people’s heads, and I get it. I’ve had teammates who I played against, they’re like, ‘We freaking hated you.’ But then once I’m on the same team, people are like, ‘Oh, you’re actually so cool, and we love you. Like, we love you as a teammate.’ I’m like, ‘Duh.’ It’s just who I am.”
“And so when that happened, I just got in the other girl’s head, and she got mad that I was pointing a finger, and she got mad mad. And so I was like, ‘Shouldn’t have done that.’ Once I saw, ‘I gotcha, I gotcha.’ And so then I just kept it there.”
“And so it did go viral. And I walk around now, and when people ask for photos, last year was like, ‘Hey, can you put me in a headlock?’ And now this year, it’s like, ‘Hey, can you point at me?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh God.’ I’m like, ‘What am I doing? Stick with basketball.’ But it’s part of the game, so who cares?”
The contrast helps explain Cunningham’s reputation around the WNBA. Opponents might find her irritating because of her physicality, trash talk, and willingness to escalate to the mental side of a matchup, but she thinks that her teammates see her as a completely different person.
Her confrontation with Bonner provided perhaps the best example. That incident occurred during a physical Fever-Mercury matchup when Caitlin Clark and Bonner exchanged words late in the fourth quarter. Cunningham became involved defending her teammate and began pointing at Bonner.
And once she realized that her gesture was frustrating her opponent, she decided not to stop.
That prolonged finger-pointing standoff quickly went viral, turning what was essentially an in-game attempt to annoy an opponent into a defining social media image for Cunningham. She has since discovered how recognizable that moment has become.
Cunningham had previously described getting under opponents’ skin as a game within a game, and her latest comments seemed to make it clear that she views this as an intentional competitive tool.
These viral moments have also made her one of the WNBA’s most recognizable stars. Her profile has expanded well beyond what happens on the court, something that she has embraced rather than avoided.
In the same podcast episode, Cunningham also addressed being labeled as a WNBA sex symbol and defended Caitlin Clark against critics who refused to give her credit for the impact that she has had on the league.
But Cunningham’s comments about irritating opponents might just explain her public persona better than almost anything else.
She knows opponents might dislike competing against her, and judging by that response, that is exactly the point.