Sophie Cunningham Cements Her Role in Caitlin Clark & Co.’s Success as Tagging Criticism Mounts

Ever since Sheryl Swoopes and Stephen A Smith stopped sparring, we’ve been looking for an alternative. I think we got one! At first, it was Sophie Cunningham firing back at Skip Bayless for his assumption about CC’s injury. “So when people say stuff like that, it’s just ‘Shut up, bud.‘” she said. To which, Skip came up with another rant, this time targeting Soph for leveraging CC’s limelight. But, Sophie’ not taking it…she’s already gotta way out!

After all, she’s got the yelling in her genes. Her mother, grandmother, and even aunt all played sports. “Both my mom and my grandma have mastered the art of knowing when to yell… And they wait till it’s silent and they can actually be heard,” shared Sophie’s sister during an interview with The New York Times while revealing that her grandmother was so vocal that sometimes opposing fans carried signs saying “Shut up Sissy.” So how could Soph not speak up??

She did so in one of the recent episodes of her podcast show, ‘Show me Something’. When asked about people using her proximity to a superstar to diminish her ability to play basketball, she shared, “Yeah, I think. I think it’s funny that people always… People are like, ‘skip.’ And others like, ‘oh, she’s just stagnant….People like come at me and like, ‘Oh, she averages eight points a game.’ And I’m like… You’re sitting on your couch just talking trash on me… But my thing is also like,… I’ve been playing all about scoring. Like, I’ve literally been the glue to our team. Like I’m our energy. I’m our spark. I know what I bring to the table.”

While Sophie’s been limited to 30 games this season due to a season-ending MCL tear, she’s still brought immense value to the team. She’s averaged 25 minutes with a career-high of 46.9% from FG and 43.2% from the 3P line. “Towards the end of the season, man. I was like averaging 15. I had one of the best percentages of the W. I think I was leading the W in percentages at three points,” Sophie added, highlighting her strong performance.

Her contribution wasn’t just limited to 8.6 points per game; she had 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, too. She even ended up posting a season-high of 17 points in a game against the Seattle Storm on August 3rd. All that came when CC was out for the past several weeks due to a groin injury.

Not only did Sophie score the ball well, but she also brought a defensive spark—something that even her former head coach, Nate Tibbetts, praised. “I think when you come in this league — again, I’m learning this league as a second-round pick — you’ve got to have to have some toughness and grit to you,” Tibbetts said of Cunningham when asked about Sophie assuming an enforcer role for her mates. “She’s embraced that role, and it’s worked for them. And so I give Sophie credit, because she competes at a high level,” Tibbetts added.

But it ain’t just her former HC who knows it—she too understands her role with the Fever. So, she’s not comparing herself to “superstars.” Still, she confidently states that the negative attention, “still making me money because you’re talking about me. So, thank you”. Classic Sophie.

But is Bayless slightly right about Sophie Cunningham?

Skip Bayless is quite used to being a strong critic, and he wasn’t any different even this time. “Did that ever quickly endear her to Caitlin’s billions of fans out there? Then, with the spotlight shining on Sophie 100 times better than ever before, she started making grand entrances into arenas, wearing spicy outfits, some of them provocative and very cool,” he shared in his recent podcast episode. But, he’s right about Sophie, not exactly, but to some points.

Yeah, maybe Sophie didn’t do it purposely. But she surely has had a popularity surge ever since the June 17th game against the Connecticut Sun. After Jacy Sheldon poked CC in the eye, Sophie decided to defend the Indiana Fever sensation. She felt that CC wasn’t being properly protected by refs, so she took the matter into her own hands.

With less than a minute remaining in the game, when Sheldon stole the ball and went sprinting for a layup, Sophie wrapped her arms around her while defending. She then pulled her to the hardwood, fouling her. She fought back as Lindsay Allen and Jacy rushed towards her.

Ever since, she’s been a sensation, often dubbed as CC’s bodyguard. Within days, she gained millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. The day after the Sun’s game, she even got a deal with the Home Security Company Ring. And that was one of the seven new deals Indy’s guard got in just weeks after the incident. So, yeah, she’s benefited from it, though she mentions it kinda came from friendship. But, even then, we can’t deny the presence she brings to the locker room, right?