Sophie Cunningham never thought that pointing a finger at DeWanna Bonner for 22 seconds straight on June 22 would attract so much mainstream attention. From recreating the viral moment with UFC star Max Holloway at UFC 329 to the kids in her Simple Truth Sophie Cunningham Basketball ProCamp doing it to her, the gesture has clearly struck a chord. In fact, the WNBPA has officially issued a licensing ban on it, and independent content creator and analyst Ben Daniel isn’t a fan of the decision.

In the latest episode of The Ben Daniel Podcast, WNBA analyst Ben Daniel argued that the Players’ Association’s ruling of Cunningham’s gesture as offensive or derogatory should be dismissed.

“They can’t seem to get ouot of their own way. Folks, saying a point is derogatory? You can’t hate this league enough,” he said. “This is why, outside of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, this is why I clown on everything regarding this league as frequently as I do, because it’s not to be taken serious. It’s a drama. It’s a reality show. It’s a soap opera.”

Daniel looked at a post from Darren Rovell, who was among the first to disclose the WNBPA’s stance on monetizing Cunningham’s finger-pointing gesture.

“The WNBA Players Association is currently prohibiting licensees from using the Sophie point, saying that it is ‘derogatory.'” Rovell wrote on X.

That means the WNBA’s partners, including the ones who make merch, like 2K, Breaking T, Lids, and Panini, won’t be able to use the gesture in officially licensed WNBA merch.

However, regardless of the union’s opinion, Cunningham can monetize the image herself with non-partner brands, since individual sponsorship deals don’t concern the WNBPA. This follows the image being used by many celebrities and athletes, and even the White House posting it as part of a video.

Cunningham’s gesture originated when she stepped in when Caitlin Clark and former Fever teammate DeWanna Bonner got into an altercation and exchanged words after being separated. Cunningham decided to point at the Phoenix Mercury player, holding her finger while maintaining eye contact with her.

“I was just kind of pointing, and [Bonner] was like, ‘Don’t you point at me!'” Cunningham later explained on her Show Me Something podcast.

“And I was like, ‘Oh, shouldn’t have said that…’ That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I’m telling you, everyone’s like, ‘That is so dumb.’ I think it was so dumb. But it was pissing her off, and I couldn’t help myself. I could not. She was losing her s***, and all I was doing was literally pointing.”

Regardless of the WNBPA’s disclaimer, Cunningham has not shied away from improving her mainstream visibility after going viral for the gesture. Whether she privately monetizes it through her other partner after the Players’ Association’s verdict remains to be seen.