When Napheesa Collier dropped the bomb in her exit interview with a pre-written address, W erupted. “Caitlin should be grateful she made $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything,” Collier claimed Cathy told her earlier this year. Ever since, it has been the league’s brightest star players versus the leader, but of course CC ain’t standing alone, one of her closest allies had stepped up as her loudest defender.

As Sophie, CC’s mate who’s out of the season with an MCL tear, got wind of the comments on CC, she took it to the comment section and responded to the purported Engelbert quote. “People only know Cathy because of C…. She’s the most delusional leader our league has seen,” she penned before a follow-up: “AND IT SHOULDN’T EVER BE ABOUT OUR COMMISSIONER IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

And yes, she’s got a point here. A large portion of W’s fanbase got to know Cathy for the first time when she handed over CC Indiana Fever’s jersey at the 2024 draft. Since then, the Indiana Fever superstar had been driving the league crazy. Just consider: in one month, the league saw a 94% increase in people making it to arenas. From viewership to TV ratings and economic growth, W saw unprecedented growth. But while it was a sudden boost to the league, CC was already used to the effect.

Before transitioning to W, she was already voted “most popular player in college basketball this season” by a Seton Hall poll of 1,519 respondents. According to USA Today, she was correctly identified as an NCAA athlete by nearly half the population—47% in the poll. So yes, when Sophie said, “people know Cathy because of C,” it made sense.

It doesn’t matter that W secured an 11-year $2.2B media rights deal and franchise values saw an increment of 180% year over year, with total revenues projected to hit $1B in 2025 under Cathy. But is it the first time we’re seeing Cathy vs. players? Even during WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis in July, players wore “Pay us what you owe us” T-shirts pregame, and fans inside Gainbridge Arena erupted with chants of “Pay them! Pay them!” after the game.

But this time, it’s huge. With Phee, the co-founder of Unrivaled and wife of its president Alex Bazzel, who’s known the league’s leader up close, leading the squad, players are fighting.

Stephanie White, Lexie Hull, Angel Reese, Natasha Cloud, and nearly every other player have added their voices to Phee. And it isn’t just them—CC’s fan group has risen to the cause. As Dave Portnoy commented, “I continue to be astounded by how dumb @CathyEngelbert+ the @WNBA is. It’s like her life goal is to alienate Caitlin and her fans. It’s insanity. Caitlin could start a new league tomorrow and put Cathy out of business. They won’t be happy till they kill the golden goose.”

And it makes sense too, as Engelbert has shown failed leadership. She hasn’t been able to reach an agreement with the players’ union, which could result in a lockout after October 31. We saw league expansion and schedule expansion, but she failed to address the growing injury list. And of course, her recent comments, as claimed by Phee, are just adding to it. So, fighting for a common cause is somewhat justified.

But for Sophie, all this is quite personal.

For Sophie Cunningham, joining the Indy wasn’t just about hoops. It was also about building a bond that goes far beyond the court, and if there’s one person who’s felt that the most, it’s Caitlin Clark. The two have grown into more than teammates, and Sophie has ensured everyone sees it.

That loyalty first flashed on June 17th against the Connecticut Sun. After Clark took an eye poke from Jacy Sheldon and was shoved to the floor by Marina Mabrey, Sophie made her stance loud and clear. In the closing seconds, while defending Sheldon on a layup attempt, she wrapped Jacy by the neck, a moment that instantly earned her the tag of CC’s “guarding angel.”

And it hasn’t stopped there. On the debut episode of her podcast Show Me Something, Sophie doubled down on her support, firing back at anyone questioning Clark’s impact on the league. “When people try to argue that she’s not the face of our league or that we’d be where we’re at without her, you’re dumb as s—. You’re literally dumb as f—,” she said, leaving no room for doubt about where her loyalty lies.

Even when CC was slapped with a $200 fine for her fiery postgame remarks, “Elite bench mob” and “Refs couldn’t stop us” after Game 1 of the playoffs, Sophie found a way to lighten the mood. To her 272,000 followers, she joked on X, “Got fined $200 for this lol😂😂😂😂😂 BENCH MOB WILL BE EVEN MORE ROWDY TOMORROW LETS GOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! @IndianaFever… That’s gonna really break the bank for her. Starting a GoFundMe now!” So while the league waits for Clark’s own take on the ongoing controversies, likely to come during her exit interview after the Finals, Sophie has already spoken volumes.