Mercury Coach Gets Clear on Sophie Cunningham's Caitlin Clark Fever Enforcer Role
Indiana Fever wing Sophie Cunningham went supremely viral back in June for a physical play she made on former Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon.
In the third quarter of that June 17 Fever vs. Sun game, Sheldon poked Caitlin Clark in the eye, which prompted a brief shoving match between the two, which then ended with Clark getting knocked to the ground by Connecticut veteran Marina Mabrey.
Cunningham retaliated by grabbing Sheldon when she was going for a layup one quarter later and pulling her down to the ground, which sparked what was essentially a brawl and got both Cunningham and Sheldon ejected from the game.
Cunningham sticking up for Clark in this way earned her a lot of credit and adoration from not only the Fever's fan base but among the entire women's basketball fandom.
However, those who have been following Cunningham through her first six WNBA seasons (all of which were played with the Phoenix Mercury before she joined the Fever this past offseason) know that she has always brought this competitive fire and enforcer mindset to the court.
SOPHIE SAID AINT SHIT SWEET pic.twitter.com/vo9Mq2MFN3
— correlation (@nosyone4) June 18, 2025
Mercury's Nate Tibbetts Speaks on Sophie Cunningham's Enforcer Role
Cunningham was coached by Nate Tibbetts during her 2024 campaign with Phoenix before she joined the Fever. Tibbetts spoke with the media before his team faced off against Indiana on August 7 and was asked about Cunningham assuming the enforcer role for Clark and their other Fever teammates.
"I think when you come in this league — again, I'm learning this league as a second-round pick — you've got to have to have some toughness and grit to you," Tibbetts said of Cunningham, per an X post from Hayden Cilley of ClutchPoints. Cunningham was a second-round pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft after playing college ball at the University of Missouri.
"She’s embraced that role, and it’s worked for them. And so I give Sophie credit, because she competes at a high level,” Tibbetts added.
Nate Tibbetts told @Boomskie that he isn’t surprised about Sophie Cunningham sticking up for Caitlin Clark.
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) August 8, 2025
“You got to have some toughness and grit to you. She’s embraced that role, and it’s worked for them.” pic.twitter.com/r5PXgBVuDE
Cunningham's Impact Without Caitlin Clark on the Court
While Clark hasn't been on the court for the past several weeks because of a groin injury, Cunningham has still been an impact player for Indiana in her absence. Not only is she scoring the ball well (Cunningham produced a season-high 17 points against the Seattle Storm on August 3), but she's still bringing a defensive spark and tenacity on defense.
Tibbetts is surely hoping Cunningham isn't a difference maker for the Fever against his team on Thursday.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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