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Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star Sophie Cunningham is going viral for her defence of teammate Caitlin Clark, which led to her ejection from the game.
The incident occurred during a frenzied basketball game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun on 17 June, which the Fever eventually won 88 - 71.
But, the match was marred with incident as the Fever’s star point guard, Clark, was fouled by Jacy Sheldon from the Sun with a finger in the eye, and then shoved to the ground by Marina Mabrey.
Clark has become a huge name in women’s basketball and has been compared with the likes of Steph Curry in the men’s game in terms of her impact.
The moment caused a commotion with officials having to run onto the court to intervene in the skirmish. But it wouldn’t be the only confrontation to happen.
Footage of the brutal foul on Clark has been viewed millions of times on X/Twitter.
Following the incident, another clash ensued when Indiana Fever’s veteran guard Cunningham fouled Sheldon in what many fans think was in retaliation for her earlier foul on Clark.
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The two began scuffling, and eventually three players were technically ejected from the game: Cunningham, for the initial foul, and Sheldon and Sheldon’s teammate Lindsay Allen for being “escalators”.
Who is Sophie Cunningham?
Cunningham plays the shooting guard position for the Indiana Fever. She previously played for the Phoenix Mercury between 2019 and 2025, before being traded to the Indiana Fever on 31 January.
She previously played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers and, at her high school was the all-time leading scorer for the girls’ basketball team.
Cunningham also holds a black belt in Taekwondo, which she earned at just six years old.
Online, many fans praised her for standing up for her teammate. It was also reported that her jersey sold out after the showdown.
“A prime example of a friend /teammate sticking up for you when they should! The real ones will have your back every time and that’s in life too not just sports,” someone wrote.
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