"Get this b**ch off my screen": Sophie Cunningham opens up about the viral enforcer moment that exploded her fame

Sophie Cunningham has been in the WNBA since 2019. However, it wasn’t until this season that she became a household name. On Wednesday, Cunningham opened up about her sudden rise to fame and how overwhelming it was.

She shared that her popularity exploded following a heated on-court altercation with Jacy Sheldon. It resulted in her social media platforms gaining hundreds of thousands of followers overnight.

“I went from 200,000 on TikTok before the fight, and then I had, like, 350,000 on Instagram,” Cunningham said on her "Show Me Something" podcast. “Over the night, over a million on both. I got tired of seeing myself, and I love myself. I was over it, I was like, “Get this b**ch off my screen.”

The turning point came during the Indiana Fever’s June 17 Commissioner’s Cup game against the Connecticut Sun.

After Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye by Jacy Sheldon, Cunningham later shoved the Sun guard to the floor in retaliation during a fastbreak.

Cunningham said the incident changed her life, bringing her more opportunities and money. However, it also had some consequences.

“I’ve worked my whole life to become a WNBA basketball player, and now people know me as WWE,” Cunningham said.

Sophie Cunningham gets offer to wrestle professionally

One of Sophie Cunningham’s highlight moments this season was her altercation with Jacy Sheldon. It earned her a reputation as one of the most physical and aggressive players in the league.

Cunningham's actions caught the attention of David McLane, the founder of Women of Wrestling. McLane extended an invitation to the Fever guard, saying her physicality would translate into the world of professional wrestling.

“She's the Marty McSorley to Wayne Gretzky (Caitlin Clark), and she is a stunning athlete," McLane said on Saturday, via The Mirror.

“I flew to Las Vegas and watched them in action against the Aces, and I would love to have Sophia Cunningham in WoW, because she takes down the competition, and she makes sure that Caitlin Clark is safe on the basketball floor. We'd love to have Sophie in WoW.”

However, Cunningham remains focused on helping Indiana push toward a playoff spot. She is averaging 7.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

The Fever will face the LA Sparks on Aug. 5 at Crypto.com Arena. There’s a possibility that Cunningham could make a special guest appearance on the WoW show, which is filmed in Los Angeles.