The Internet Thinks Sophie Cunningham Is Based, Here’s Why

Sophie Cunningham was one of the most decorated players to ever come out of Missouri. Born in Columbia in 1996, Cunningham led Rock Bridge High School to multiple state titles and still holds the school’s all-time scoring record. She stayed local for college, becoming a hometown star with the Missouri Tigers, where she played four full seasons and helped turn the program into something people actually paid attention to.

She was drafted 13th overall in 2019 by the Phoenix Mercury, making her the highest-drafted player in Mizzou history. For six seasons, she was a key piece off the bench and occasionally in the starting rotation. Along the way, she also dipped into broadcasting, appearing as an analyst on Suns Live! for the Phoenix Suns.

In early 2025, Cunningham was traded to the Indiana Fever in a four-team deal that also involved the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun. The move wasn’t headline-making at the time. But now, Cunningham is a fan favorite. Here’s why. 

People Have Been Waiting for Someone to Step Up for Clark

In the final minutes of Indiana’s win over Connecticut this week, with the game nearly over, Cunningham fouled the Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon. She wrapped her long arms around Sheldon’s neck and dragged her down. Several players from the opposing team rushed toward Cunningham, whose hand was still tangled in Sheldon’s hair as she got back on her feet. Sheldon, Cunningham, and another player were tossed. It was a chaotic scene for sure, yet anyone watching the full game unfold knew exactly what led up to that moment.

Just earlier in the game, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark got poked in the face by Sheldon. Right after that, another Sun player, Marina Mabrey, shoved Clark to the ground. The referees stopped the game to review the scuffle. Sheldon was charged with a Flagrant 1 foul, which is a serious call for unnecessary contact. Mabrey got a technical foul for her shove. And oddly, Clark also got a technical for reacting, even though she’d been the one hit.

Sun coach Rachid Meziane called Cunningham’s actions “stupid” and “disrespectful,” adding, “When you are winning the game by 17 points and you are doing this… I did not understand.” However, the audience understood. Because, for the first time in a long time, a teammate finally stood up for Clark.  

Cunningham’s Past Always Finds a Way Back Into the Conversation

Everyone is talking about buying Cunningham’s jersey now, but this isn’t the first time she’s made headlines. While most casual fans only learned her name this week, the conservative circles on the internet had her labeled her “based.” Last year, she reportedly shared a Donald Trump Jr. video to her Instagram story, showing a clip taking shots at Kamala Harris.  

After that, people started calling her “MAGA girl.” The senseless mob reacted the way it normally would, and Cunningham was left off the campaign and became a target. And when a 2024 poll ranked the most disliked WNBA players by volume of negative comments, some fans were surprised to find her name missing. A few were outraged, but her response was nothing short of iconic. Cunningham shared a series of photos of herself with the caption, “Always on some B.S. 🌞👙✨.” The last image reads, "The only b.s I need is Bikini and sun."

She also showed up to a game wearing a red hat that read “Hot Cowgirl Summer.” It wasn’t a MAGA hat, obviously, but it was close enough to feel like a wink to the people who keep trolling her.

She Didn’t Apologize

Inevitably, someone has started a petition to ban her from the league. It’s hosted on Change.org and titled, “Remove Sophie Cunningham from the WNBA for misconduct.” The language reads like a scolding from a human resources department – formal, inflated, vaguely theatrical. The page accuses her of compromising the league’s integrity, of unsportsmanlike conduct, and of creating an unsafe environment on the court. It urges the WNBA to “take firm action” and “send a strong message.” 

The petition has gathered fewer than 200 signatures (which is hilarious), many of which came from people who signed it just to comment on how absurd it is. “I signed this petition in error. This is ridiculous.” “Sophie Cunningham took a stand.”

The irony is hard to miss: When Clark gets shoved in the face or knocked down, it’s business as usual. The outrage doesn’t come until someone responds, and the response came from Cunningham. She didn’t escalate out of nowhere, unlike the opposing players; she reacted, in the way athletes have always reacted when the refs stop calling things and the game starts to slip. It’s strange that she's the only one facing this level of scrutiny when she’s also the only one who acted with any real loyalty. Whether you like her or not, Cunningham did what teammates are supposed to do by showing up.

To this day, Cunningham never corrected the haters about her reportedly supporting Trump, nor has she said anything about the foul. That’s what makes her stand out, in my opinion. Not the political stuff, but the fact that she doesn’t care who’s watching. She’s undeniably authentic on and off the court.  

There’s something rare about that. Especially in a league that’s learning how to handle its new fame, its cultural politics, and its new audience all at once. Most players play it safe and keep their political ideologies hush-hush or refrain from fighting back on the court. Cunningham plays how she feels, and while that doesn’t make her perfect, it makes her real. And conservatives can tell. 

That’s been her pattern from the start. She doesn’t try to smooth things over or soften the edges for approval. Cunningham knows what she believes, and she’s not looking for confirmation.

You see that most clearly not in her interviews, or even in how she plays, but in what’s quietly been sitting at the top of her X profile since long before any of this began. Her pinned tweet, untouched since 2016, says: "everything happens for a reason is not in the bible but 'God promises to work all things to good for those who love him' is. Romans 8:28."