Sophie Cunningham is not just Caitlin Clark’s bodyguard on the court; she’s become her bodyguard in the court of public opinion. If I were WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, I’d thank Cunningham for protecting the health and image of the league’s biggest star on and off the floor.
Notice I said biggest star, not best player. That’s four-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Aces. But the 24-year-old Clark is without question the league’s biggest attraction in terms of TV ratings, box office, and merchandising. Despite her fame, Clark is “politically anodyne,” notes The Ringer’s Seerat Sohi, especially compared to the NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James.
Unlike the Chosen One, Clark doesn’t want to talk about politics or social issues. She doesn’t pick a side in the political proxy wars dividing the WNBA and fans over race, sexuality, and transgender athletes. Clark just wants to hoop.
But that’s been impossible since Clark entered the WNBA with great fanfare from Iowa in 2024. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer was heralded as a Magic Johnson/Larry Bird-like savior who would take the WNBA to the next level. But many veterans seem to think their league didn’t need saving.
To be sure, Clark is polarizing in her own right—she can be a complainer and flopper on the court, not unlike King James. But she’s also been on the receiving end of way too many cheap shots and hard fouls over her first three seasons—while refs have made a habit of looking the other way.
