Sophie Cunningham went from a fringe starter throughout her first six years in the WNBA to quickly becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the league.
The 28-year-old is a role player with a smooth stroke from beyond the arc, but her position as Caitlin Clark's enforcer has helped elevate her star power.
It helps that Cunningham's persona resembles a pro wrestling heel, playing up her "bad girl" persona and being unafraid to launch verbal barbs at cities or fellow players. She recently launched a podcast to share her unfiltered thoughts and wasted no time defending her transcendent teammate.
In the first episode of "Sophie & West," Cunningham ripped those who perpetually challenge Clark's status atop the sport.
"It pisses me off when people say she's not the face of the league," Cunningham said. "There are really good, well-known people in our league—I'm not discrediting them. We have a lot of badasses in our league. But when people try to argue that she's not the face of our league or our league would be where it's at without her, you're dumb as s***. You're dumb as f***."
That kind of fiery monologue is exactly why Cunningham is becoming such a beloved figure.
Clark ushered in the women's basketball boom. It likely would've happened in 2020, with Sabrina Ionescu at the peak of her powers on a loaded Oregon Ducks squad, but the tournament was canceled because of the pandemic, and that's lost to history. Clark was next in line and was at the right place at the right time.
The Clark detractors either don't like her personally or don't understand simple economics—her significance alone could help finally make the league profitable.
Cunningham has a right to be fed up with the nonsensical discourse constantly swirling around Clark.