Little did Sophie Cunningham know that after helping Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever defeat the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, her life was about to change.
Near the end of the contest, Cunningham was at the center of an on-court fight involving multiple players from both teams after she committed a hard foul on Sun guard Jacy Sheldon.
Cunningham was ejected for the foul and eventually fined by the WNBA, but her popularity has hit astronomical levels since the fight took place on Tuesday.
Indiana Fever and WNBA fans embrace Sophie Cunningham as Caitlin Clark's enforcer
Less than 24 hours after the fight heard around the WNBA happened on Tuesday, it became clear that Cunningham had just become someone new for fans to root for.
According to Courtside Club's Rachel A DeMita, Cunningham's jersey on the WNBA's official website had already sold out a few hours into Wednesday morning. They have since been re-stocked, but it's safe to say that there are going to be a lot more No. 8 jerseys in the stands for the remainder of Indiana's 2025 season.
Playing a large role in the recent increase in Cunningham's popularity is the fact that many view what she did at the end of Tuesday's game as something that was done to protect Clark. There have been multiple instances of WNBA teams intentionally roughing up Clark on the court since she entered the league last year, and it's clear that Cunningham has become fed up with all of that.
Judging by how fans have responded to the fight, they were fed up with teams playing dirty with Clark, too. So when Cunningham fouled Sheldon on Tuesday, a feeling of "finally" was felt throughout the arena.
Cunningham has been in the WNBA since 2019 when she was selected by the Phoenix Mercury with a second-round pick. After six seasons with the Mercury, she was part of a four-team trade that sent her to the Fever this past February.
Now that she's joined forces with Clark in Indiana, she's part of a team that has a major spotlight on it every time they step on the court. So far, Cunningham appears to relishing in that brighter light, and it's likely going to lead her to even great opportunities both on and off the court.