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Sophie Cunningham is the latest person to chime in on the Caitlin Clark/WNBA controversy.
Last week, Clark took a dirty, cheap shot from Phoenix Mercury player Alyssa Thomas.
🔥Hold up…A closer look at the dirty play by Alyssa Thomas last night w/ a new angle — Wait for the freeze + zoom on each.
– Knee to the groin
– Pinches her underarm
– Fist to the throat
– Attempt to stomp on her (she moved)Why do @WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark so much? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/83JZSChdEu
— HeroOfTheDay (@Hero_OfThe_Day) June 25, 2026
The refs did not initially call a foul on Thomas, which led to public outcry from fans. Former NFL QB Boomer Esiason said that Clark should leave the WNBA and play overseas because she’s being treated poorly by the league.
“If I were Caitlin Clark, I would seriously consider going to play overseas somewhere and get the royal treatment…she’s a straight white basketball player. And she is not being treated with any sort of respect”
“If I were Caitlin Clark, I would seriously consider going to play overseas somewhere and get the royal treatment…she’s a straight white basketball player. And she is not being treated with any sort of respect” – Boomer Esiason pic.twitter.com/zeFRdOMLVn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 25, 2026
During a recent podcast appearance, Cunningham also blasted the WNBA and their refs for not protecting Clark.
“During real time last night, I did not see that happen,” Cunningham said. “None of our team saw it happen, because I promise you, if we would have seen that happen, we would have had [Clark’s] back. Unfortunately, this type of shit happens every single game to [Clark], and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it.”
“You see the videos of literally kneeing and cheap-shotting [Clark] in the throat,” Cunningham continued. “If [Thomas] did that to any of our teammates, we’d be pissed. But they are definitely targeting [Clark], and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.”
WNBA player Sophie Cunningham calls out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert by name, accusing the league of failing to protect Caitlin Clark. pic.twitter.com/68N8kBkgiu
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 28, 2026