By admin 
As the WNBA reaches unprecedented heights, fans and the media will continue to label players in various ways. Some players will be regarded as heroes who can do no harm or wrong, while others will be lambasted as the villains who always stir up controversy.
Depending on who you ask, Sophie Cunningham is either on the good or bad side, or even both. She has become one of the most polarizing players in the league, first popular as the enforcer for the league’s superstar, Caitlin Clark, with the Indiana Fever, and now criticized as the league’s villain due to her off-court controversies.
For a lot of people. Her flirting with the dark side, through her altercations and fearlessness, is unacceptable, but for former NBA player Matt Barnes, it is why she is one of his favorite players in the league.
Playing with the edge
Cunningham has embraced her popularity, regardless of how she is perceived. She is as fearless off the court as she is on it, and it has made her one of the most popular players in the league since arriving in Indiana in 2025.
Her willingness to stand up for her teammates and embrace confrontation, both on and off the court, has led many to label her an enforcer. In the NBA, the role has seemingly died down, but Barnes believes that the W has their own version of it in Soph.
“She takes out people when need be. she’s kind of caught my attention from a standpoint of just like she don’t take no s-t. She plays hard when she plays,” he
She rose to public attention last season, as she was always the one visibly trying to protect CC during altercations. It was highlighted in her most viral scruffles, like when she stood up for Clark during a game against the Connecticut Sun by pulling Jacy Sheldon during a fast break, or when she pointed at DeWanna Bonner this year.
Her actions quickly earned her a reputation as being Clark’s bodyguard. At the time, she was almost beloved by everyone. After all, she was protecting the league’s figurehead. However, like most villain stories, her turn to the dark side came.
Last July, Cunningham expressed her comments against transgender athletes in women’s sports, sparking a whole controversy that led to former NBA players declaring for the WNBA draft.
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Though she has expressed no ill will towards the LGBT+ community, she was still criticized heavily for her comments and cemented the notion of fans that was labeling her as the “MAGA Barbie.”
For some, the criticism would prompt them to overturn their comments and try to rehabilitate their image. But not Soph. In fact, she doubled down on them and then embraced the boos that greeted her in games afterward. It might rub some fans the wrong way, but Barnes believes that feeding off the hate is just what the league needs.
“I don’t know how much she’s liked or disliked in the league, but I kind of felt like she’s kind of like a feather ruffler in the league,” Barnes stated. “You need that. You need the villains like you need the good guys.”
Related: Nneka Ogwumike believes controversies are the main reason why the WNBA is popular: “It really sucks”
Heroes and villains
Ultimately, the WNBA is entering a period when personality matters more than ever. Whether people like it or not, players are now maximizing their brands more than ever, which means leaning into how the public perceives them.
Cunningham is not regarded as a star but is treated as one because of her actions on and off the court. She is just the latest of a long line of basketball villains that includes the likes of Bill Laimbeer, Reggie Miller and Barnes himself. None of those players were controversial for the sake of being controversial. They were just fearless and physical.
The W is now experiencing that dynamic for the first time, arguably. A player who is willing to talk into a hostile arena, hear thousands of fans boo her and still knock down a three. Soph is comfortable in her role, and having someone fans love to hate may be one of the better problems the league can have as it continues to grow.
Related: “6’4″ isn’t that tall” – Sophie Cunningham on how tall her boyfriend needs to be
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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 2:50 AM.