Sophie Cunningham has dominated WNBA conversations over the past few weeks, and it seems some of that popularity is spilling onto the courts as well. The Indiana Fever guard has recently been in the headlines of every major WNBA story, and now, the Fever are making a bid for her to win an award.
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Recently, the Indiana Fever made an Instagram post featuring several pictures of Sophie Cunningham. The caption for the post forwarded Cunningham’s name for a prestigious award as the postseason approaches.
“Sophie Cunningham for 6th Player of the Year 😮💨”
The Fever guard has primarily been a rotational player for the Fever, though she has begun most games this season on the bench. Cunningham has started in only three games, while contributing from the bench in the other 35 games she has played with the Fever. The Fever’s claim that Cunningham should be voted the WNBA’s 2026 Sixth Player of the Year is actually backed by the stats.
Cunningham has been averaging 8.4 points per game, while adding 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The guard is also putting up some serious accuracy numbers in her shooting stats. She is averaging a career-high of 47.6% from the field, while also grabbing another career-high of 44.1% from beyond the three-point line.
She currently ranks third in the entire league for her three-point percentage, behind only teammate Kelsey Mitchell and New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich. While she may not be the most production-heavy player on the team, she still adds a significant number of points, often the difference between a win and a loss. Cunningham ranks fourth on the Fever roster for points scored behind Indiana’s Big Three – Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Aliyah Boston.
But while she may be behind Caitlin Clark in this measure, Sophie Cunningham has recently surpassed the Fever’s star guard in an off-field achievement.
Sophie Cunningham has very recently overtaken Caitlin Clark in the number of followers on Instagram. Caitlin Clark boasts an enormous following of four million on the social media application, but Cunningham has recently overtaken her teammate, reaching 4.1 million followers. Clark, who is hailed as the face of the league and a generational talent, has brought millions of new eyes to the WNBA, even leading to the phrase “The Caitlin Clark Effect.” With the storied rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, ticket prices in the WNBA saw a significant rise. The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game had a higher in-person viewership count than even the NBA All-Star Game!
But despite having this kind of impact on the game, Sophie Cunningham has surpassed CC. She even boasts four million followers on her TikTok account. Cunningham’s Instagram profile features posts of her iconic fits, photoshoots, collaborations, and on-court moments. The top line of her bio reads ‘she is fearless bc she is faithful.’
Cunningham is a very popular WNBA player among younger audiences. Recently, in a game against the Phoenix Mercury on June 22, Cunningham became a viral meme as she pointed at DeWanna Bonner for 22 seconds straight. The moment went viral, attracting several eyes towards Cunningham. Cunningham has also been known to perform trending dances on her TikTok account, endearing her to the fans.
Sophie Cunningham has also been a fierce supporter of Caitlin Clark, her teammate and one of the W’s most popular players. She has become the unofficial enforcer on the Fever roster, taking a strong stance against opponents who attempt to foul Clark, who has one of the highest gravities in the league.
The recent explosion in popularity that Sophie Cunningham has enjoyed could be explained by her involvement in the WNBA trans athlete debate. The controversial issue began on July 21, when Cunningham spoke about her desire to “protect young girls in a locker room” from having to compete against what she referred to as “biological men.”
Since then, the debate has snowballed into a league-wide issue regarding the eligibility criteria set out by the 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Scores rose in her support, with several rallies outside Fever away games. She even received support from former college athlete Riley Gains, retired artistic gymnast Jennifer Sey, actor Hugh Laurie, and several others. All eyes have been on Cunningham for weeks.
Sophie Cunningham has become one of the best-known faces in the W due to her overwhelming social media presence this season. Now, with the Fever making a bid for her to be named Sixth Woman of the Year, her popularity will reach new heights.