Caitlin Clark's Enforcer Sophie Cunningham Has Taekwondo and Football Background
Back in February, the Indiana Fever acquired Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft from the Phoenix Mercury in what ended up being a four-team trade.
Given the wild events that unfolded in the closing seconds of the Fever's dominant 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on June 17, it seems like the deal for Cunningham is already paying off through just seven games played by the guard.
For a very quick refresher, Cunningham got into a scuffle with Sun guard Jacy Sheldon after a hard foul that ended with the Fever's new enforcer placing a grip on the back of Sheldon's head and neck while holding her ground amidst the growing chaos.
And there's a perfectly good reason why Cunningham appeared to display not even a sliver of fear in that moment, given her accomplished, legendary background both as a child as well as the clutch role she played as a member of her high school football team.
Dylan Buell/Getty Images
At the young age of six, seriously just six-years-old, Cunningham amazingly became a black belt in taekwondo.
To put that in proper perspective, most children at the age of six are on the cusp of learning to read and, athletically, probably just hoping to kick the soccer ball toward the opponent's goal rather than their own.
Sophie!
— Sophie Cunningham Fan Club (@SophieC_FanClub) June 18, 2025
Taekwondo Black Belt, at 6 years old.
Always been that GIRL, always will be… pic.twitter.com/hMXRo38u3U
The Missouri native would later serve as her high school football team's kicker after the starting kicker went down after suffering a torn ACL.
The following clip not only includes footage of Cunningham successfully kicking a field goal, cleanly splitting the uprights, but also shows her receiving Homecoming Queen honors while wearing a football uniform—obviously.
Just when you think you know Sophie…
— Sophie Cunningham Fan Club (@SophieC_FanClub) June 18, 2025
She keeps amazing you!! pic.twitter.com/oogHLy2hZ7
It's probably safe to say that taking on the role of balancing the scales and protecting a star teammate by dishing out a hard foul is basically an effortless task for Cunningham.
Looking back, everything Cunningham said in March, prior to the season, about having Clark's back and sticking up for her teammates now carries some serious, legitimate weight in a major way.
"I want her [Caitlin Clark] to go do her thing and anything she needs from me, I’m gonna be here. But again, I think that's just the competitor that I am, I'm fierce, I'm sassy. I stick up for my teammates, I stick up for myself," Cunningham stated.
"Sometimes, I think that it's okay to be feisty and to be yourself."
Sophie Cunningham on playing with Caitlin Clark
— correlation (@nosyone4) March 11, 2025
“She has changed our game in the best possible way…I want her to go do her thing and anything she needs from me I’m gonna be here…I stick up for my teammates. I stick up for myself.” pic.twitter.com/mw7K5G10F6
Cunningham's popularity has understandably surged ever since the very moment the 28-year-old guard went after Jacy Sheldon in the name of protecting Caitlin Clark, with her No. 8 jersey proceeding to sell out on Fanatics by the following morning.
That No. 8 jersey has since been restocked in most sizes, all while Cunningham's fame continues to sky-rocket, with the seven-year WNBA veteran unofficially, or perhaps officially, being dubbed as Clark's "enforcer" and reaching borderline superhero status among Fever fans.
Amber Cox, general manager of the Fever, certainly sounded like someone who knew exactly what the team would be getting based on her statement in February following the acquisition of Cunningham.
"Sophie is a player that we have targeted for a while, and one that we believe is a perfect fit for the style we want to play," Cox said. "She is a fierce competitor, works incredibly hard on both ends of the floor and is one of the best shooters in our league. We are excited to add her to our squad."
Up next for Cunningham and the Indiana Fever is a road game against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, June 22, in a featured nationally televised game with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Related: Caitlin Clark Names the 1 NBA Player She 'Idolizes'