Sophie Cunningham celebrates 1M TikTok milestone thanks to viral Caitlin Clark 'enforcer' effect

Sophie Cunningham has garnered loyalty from Fever fans after she stood up for Caitlin Clark during a game against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. Cunningham enforced herself on Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon after she got physical with Clark during the game. This viral act skyrocketed Cunningham's popularity, as she hit 1 million followers on TikTok.

The Fever guard celebrated this milestone by sharing a clip of her dancing on Instagram on Friday and captioned the story with a five-word message.

"Waking up to 1 milli 💕, " she wrote.

Sophie Cunningham celebrates hitting 1 million followers on TikTok Source: Sophie Cunnigham/Instagram

Cunningham reached the one million milestone, days after slamming Jacy Sheldon to the floor. This was an act of retaliation from Cunningham as she struck Sheldon for poking Caitlin Clark in the eye. The aftermath saw the duo get ejected from the game, while the Fever guard was also handed a $400 fine for her flagrant act.

Following this viral moment at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Cunningham grew in popularity, gaining thousands of followers on TikTok. Before the game, her account had 302,100 followers, and within three days, that number reached one million.

According to SocialBlade.com, Cunningham gained 229,000 followers on Wednesday, with that count growing to 304,500 a day later. Fans continued to show their support as she gained 264,400 on Friday, taking her total followers count to 1.1 million.

As of now, the former Mercury player has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, having gained over 897,900 followers in just four days. The Caitlin Clark 'enforcer' effect has served Cunningham well as she continues to rise in popularity.

Sophie Cunningham once expressed "being here" for Caitlin Clark and her teammates

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has grown in popularity ever since she stood up for Caitlin Clark on Tuesday. However, an early-season interview of hers has resurfaced, highlighting her loyalty towards teammates.

In the clip, she expresses her excitement about playing with Clark and the importance of sticking up for her teammates.

"She has changed our game in the best possible way," Cunningham said. "Clark 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."

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These words rang true against the Connecticut Sun, as Cunningham had Caitlin Clark's back during her altercation with Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25