ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 16: Caitlin Clark 22 of Indiana talks to teammate Sophie Cunningham 8 during the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream on August 16th, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 16 Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260816093 ©IMAGO/Icon Sportswire Harshita Saxena Tue, November 3, 2026 at 1:08 AM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caitlin Clark might be the biggest name on the Indiana Fever, but on Instagram this season, one of her own teammates beat her, and not by a little. Sophie Cunningham, a bench guard who started just three of her 43 games, became the league's biggest draw online, and the numbers are not even close.
Brendan Kaminsky, founder of the digital agency Bknown , shared some numbers on X that put Cunningham on a pedestal.
Cunningham, per the numbers, averaged 518,000 engagements per post over the course of the 2026 WNBA season. Her engagement on Instagram was 2.4 times more than Clark, who ranked second, despite Clark being hailed as the face of the league. In all, Cunningham drew 8.3 million engagements this season, accounting for 27 percent of everything the top 50 players generated, according to Mondo Metrics data collected since May 8.
"Each of her four biggest posts individually generated more engagement than the full-season totals of 46 of the other 49 players," Kaminsky added.
Sophie Cunningham is redefining what it means to win off the court in the WNBA. Subscribe to stay updated on the stars reshaping the league's business landscape.
Four players drove most of the attention – Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark repping the Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese, and Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers. These four combined for 65.8 percent of all engagement among the top 50, or 20.2 million of 30.7 million. There was, however, one caveat in the numbers: A'ja Wilson's engagement stats, who ranks sixth in followers with 1.6 million, cannot truly be found as she hides her likes, so her numbers reflect comments only. Her true numbers may place her among the elite four, but we might never know.
Sophie Cunningham's reach has also turned into business. Her jersey is one of the league's best sellers, behind only Clark's. Her Adidas shoes sold out, and she was reportedly shopping a tell-all book to publishers in August.
She is also heading overseas. Cunningham signed with Project B, a new global 5-on-5 league, last November, and its first tournament runs from Jan. 19 to 24 in Hangzhou, China. Reports say the league has offered players salaries starting at $2 million, plus equity, though her terms were not disclosed.
"It's becoming a businesswoman. It's owning things," Cunningham told US Mirror.
CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 23: Sophie Cunningham 8 of the Indiana Fever warms up before the regular season WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky on August 23, 2026 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 23 Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260823105
But the growing fame also comes at a price. Cunningham said on the No Hesitation podcast that she has hired security that will travel with her around the clock starting next week.
"It doesn't matter what state, what city. It's everywhere. And so I've definitely hired security," Cunningham said.
Meanwhile, her future in Indiana remains unclear. She has been away from basketball and was not with her teammates at the Pacers game. Instead, she has been spending time with family, attending Formula 1 in Austin, traveling to Los Angeles for meetings, attending a Dancing with the Stars taping with her sister, filming a commercial in Phoenix, and working in New York. None of that confirms she is leaving, but it has added to the questions surrounding her future.
Her contract has now expired. Last offseason, she said she was frustrated by the one-year deal she initially received because teams had not seen her play in person.
"Because I'm just at the point in my career where I just want to win. I just want to win," Cunningham said.
The Fever are also going through changes. President Kelly Krauskopf stepped down, and general manager Amber Cox was dismissed within hours of each other following the team's first-round exit. The team has hired Excel Search & Advisory to find its next GM. The firm's parent company, Excel Sports Management, also represents Clark. The Fever's owners will still make the final call, with input from players, likely including Clark, who has said she wants to help recruit free agents.
Cunningham called Krauskopf and Cox "phenomenal, phenomenal people" and hoped the Fever would bring in people who could do a good job. Reports noted that she spoke about the team in the third person and wrote that she could test free agency, which could cost Clark a close friend and an enforcer.
That puts her future in the hands of the new GM. The next executive must work under a tighter salary cap and a new collective bargaining agreement, while deciding whether Cunningham's shooting, veteran presence, and reputation as Clark's protector fit the team's long-term plan.
Cunningham has already shown she can beat Clark online. Whether she stays on Clark's side in Indiana is the next question.
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