Sophie Cunningham finds financial gain from WNBA brawl with announcement |DD


Sophie Cunningham landed a Ring sponsorship for her role as Caitlin Clark protector© 2025 Michael Hickey

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has profited from her recent WNBA brawl with Connecticut Sun star Jacy Sheldon after partnering with Ring due to her status as team protector.

Cunningham sparked a brawl when the Fever beat the Sun 88-71 on June 17, as she dragged Sheldon to the ground in the game’s final minute. Cunningham’s actions came after Sheldon hit Caitlin Clark, and tensions flared after the WNBA Rookie of the Year was thrown to the floor by Marina Mabrey.

Officials handed Cunningham a flagrant foul and fined her $400, but she’s since gained thousands of social media followers and seen her Indiana jersey sell out. In a further boost, Cunningham has partnered with Ring after leaning on her recent enforcer role.

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On Sunday, Cunningham posted a promotional video advertising the Ring doorbell on Instagram. “In light of recent events, you guys know how serious I am about protecting my girls on the court,” Cunningham said in the video.

“”But what’s protecting my home court, AKA my actual home? The obvious choice is Ring.” The post was also captioned: “On the court, I protect my team. At home, @ring protects me.”

The size of the endorsement is unknown, but Cunningham has over one million followers on Instagram. Therefore, it’s assumed that she earned far more than the $400 fine she paid to the WNBA.

Cunningham joined the Fever ahead of this season after being dealt in a multi-team trade. The experienced guard has been averaging 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game since departing the Phoenix Mercury but has assumed the informal enforcer role on the court.

Following a recent 85-75 defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks, Cunningham admitted that she’s enjoying the position of team bodyguard and doesn’t care how rival teams view her or the Indiana roster. “We are circled on everybody’s schedule,” Cunningham said.

“No one likes us, right? Everyone in our locker room, that’s the only type of people that we have that we can lean on, and we’ve gotta be better in that area.

“We have got to stay disciplined, we have to stay focused, we need to get consistent and we gotta lean on each other. I think that we’ve kind of wavered a little bit on that.”

The Fever are 8-8 this season and on track to match their efforts from 2024 despite an updated roster. Cunningham was excited when joining Clark in Indiana but made it clear during the offseason that she is determined to win.

“I just wanna win, I want a championship,” Cunningham told Mirror U.S. Sports in April. “I’m competitive. I’ll do anything that the team needs. It’s just a recipe for success.

“I’m excited to play with her (Clark). Absolutely. I think her passing ability is off the charts and I’m excited for that as a slasher and a shooter. For me it’s all about winning. And so I think that all of us kind of have our minds set on that.”