Sophie Cunningham Fires Back at Rival Jacy Sheldon
Sophie Cunningham (Photo By Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)
Sophie Cunningham isn’t one to keep her mouth shut or her hands to herself, apparently. The Indiana Fever guard found herself in the middle of a heated exchange during Tuesday night’s matchup against the Connecticut Sun.

The drama started when Sun rookie Jacy Sheldon caught Caitlin Clark in the eye, earning a flagrant foul. Things escalated moments later when Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground. But Cunningham waited until the final minute of regulation to send her own message, dragging Sheldon to the floor on a fast break and setting off a near-brawl. Both players were tossed from the game.

Connecticut head coach Rachid Meziane didn’t hold back in his postgame comments.

“When you are winning a game by 17 points and you doing this stupid foul, this is just disrespectful,” he told reporters. “I don’t know how Jacy and Lindsay [got] ejected from the game when they did nothing.”

Cunningham Responds, Fans React

Indiana Fever guard Sophie CunninghamIndiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
Cunningham didn’t offer a traditional apology. Instead, she turned to TikTok.


On Thursday night, she posted a video of herself lip-syncing to Selena Gomez’s “Hands to Myself,” clearly aiming the message at Sheldon. She captioned the video, “It’s a joke… the sound was too fitting! happy game day.”

The post struck a nerve, but mostly in a way that worked in Cunningham’s favor. Her TikTok following soared to one million, and the video racked up praise from fans.

“This is gold,” one comment read.

“Legend,” said another.

One user called it “the best TikTok in the history of ever.”

Despite the on-court tension and postgame antics, the league stopped short of suspending Cunningham. She received a fine for her role in the altercation, but she remains eligible to play.

And she’ll need to stay ready. The next showdown between Cunningham and Sheldon is already circled on the calendar: July 15. Whatever happens next, but for sure Sophie Cunningham isn’t interested in playing nice