The popularity of Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham is skyrocketing, as the sharpshooting wing has now surpassed her teammate Caitlin Clark in Instagram followers.
According to Essentially Sports, Cunningham gained nearly a million followers in the last month or so after her comments on transgender participation in the WNBA thrust her into the national spotlight.
“If Sophie Cunningham keeps growing at her current pace, she could realistically catch Angel Reese’s Instagram follower count by September or October,” read a report on X.
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese remains the most popular WNBA star on social media with a little over 5.2M followers on IG.
She has just passed her Indiana Fever teammate Caitlin Clark and is now sitting at roughly 4.1 million followers.
Even crazier? Sophie Cunningham has added nearly 1 million followers on
Sophie Cunningham Excels in Role
Cunningham has been making waves both on and off the court. While Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell are Fever’s best players, Cunningham has excelled in her role as a spark plug off the bench, driving Indiana’s midseason turnaround.
The 30-year-old has averaged 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.7 minutes, including 1.6 made threes at an excellent clip of 43%. She has found herself in the running to win the WNBA’s 6th Player of the Year honor.
Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun, averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists off the bench, remains the favorite to win the award, but Cunningham could strengthen her case if the Fever (26-14) can finish as a top-3 seed. However, PFSN’s Michael Macasero fears Cunningham could lose votes over her comments on trans participation in the WNBA, which sparked significant backlash from league journalists.
“Cunningham has a legitimate case for the award, and the Fever clearly believes her numbers make that case,” write Macasero. “But with her name already tied to one of the WNBA’s most divisive debates, even a campaign for an individual honor has become part of a more polarizing conversation.
“Now, Cunningham’s play will have to do the talking while the debate around her continues off the court.”
Sophie Cunningham Surpasses Caitlin Clark in Key Category After Viral Comments