On Tuesday, Sophie Cunningham sent fans into a frenzy with her Instagram post that suggested she and Caitlin Clark didn’t follow coach Stephanie White’s plan for the game-winner against the Washington Mystics. Cunningham posted an animated picture of the trio sitting in the locker room after the game with captions that said, “Didn’t follow the plan …,” and “Won anyway.”
However, few realized she was merely joking amid the online chatter. Several fans felt Clark wasn’t White’s first option, but Cunningham improvised after the Mystics left her open.
Meanwhile, Fever guard Lexie Hull’s comments during a radio interview also raised eyebrows. Hull said that wasn’t the exact play the Fever drew, as they planned to draw a foul. However, she credited Cunningham for making the right read and Clark for making the shot.
“We were trying to draw a foul there,” Hull said. “I think Caitlin’s a great basketball player. She made a read. Sophie was able to deliver a perfect pass to her. She knocked it down when it mattered. I can’t say that’s exactly what we drew up, but it worked. So we’ll take it any day of the week.”
After Cunningham’s post did the rounds on social media, the veteran cleared all doubts, replying to a fan page that claimed the duo went “rogue” on the final play.
“You guys read too much into things,” Cunningham replied on X. “That’s THE EXACT play our coach drew up and we executed it perfectly!”
Clark’s fans and the majority of the Fever’s fans have expressed discontent with coach White’s job this year. They feel she’s unable to maximize Clark with her system, which is different from how the Iowa star has played before. Indiana is flirting with a .500 record through 11 games, which hasn’t helped White’s case.
Nevertheless, Cunningham’s defense of White sums up the tight locker room dynamics between the coaches and the players, despite what the outside noise suggests.
Caitlin Clark and other Fever teammates reacted to Sophie Cunningham’s post
Before Sophie Cunningham’s post caused concern, Caitlin Clark and several Fever players reacted to the guard’s post online. Clark delivered a three-word reaction, saying:
“Love you Soph”
Meanwhile, Monique Billings specifically cited the last picture on Cunningham’s post.
“Last pic 😂😂😂”
Lexie Hull, Raven Johnson, Makayla Timpson, Bree Hall and Justine Prisott showed love to Sophie Cunningham’s other pictures.
The Fever have bigger issues to worry about than addressing controversies sparked by fans. They have struggled to win games consistently, and Caitlin Clark isn’t at her best at the moment. The two-time All-Star has averaged 18.7 points and a career-low 7.9 assists, shooting 38.3% from the field and 33.3% from deep.
Indiana has a comparatively easy schedule coming up with games against the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun and Toronto Tempo. Clark and Co. will hope to string together a few wins before facing the Angel Reese-led Atlanta Dream in back-to-back games.
Read more:
- WNBA Fans Celebrate Caitlin Clark’s Inclusion on Time’s Coveted 100 Most Influential in Sports Ranking
- Despite Thrilling Game Winner, Caitlin Clark Criticizes Her Big Shortcoming vs Mystics
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