Basketball is a contact sport, but what’s been happening with Caitlin Clark since she stepped onto a professional court feels like something else entirely. It's not just "rookie hazing." It's not just the standard "welcome to the league" bump. If you ask Sophie Cunningham—who has seen this from both sides of the hardwood—the league’s collective approach to the Iowa legend has been, in her own words, "too much."
Sophie Cunningham is uniquely qualified to talk about this. For years, she was the one people loved to hate. A self-described "dirty work" player who grew up playing football, Cunningham built her reputation on being the ultimate instigator in Phoenix. But then, a massive shift happened. Cunningham was traded to the Indiana Fever in early 2025, moving from the locker rooms where teams plotted how to "show Clark what the W really is" to being the person standing right next to her in the huddle.
The Locker Room Truth: "Show Her What the W Really Is"
When Cunningham dropped the first episode of her podcast, Show Me Something, she didn't hold back. Honestly, she rarely does. She revealed that before she became Clark’s teammate, she was part of those internal team meetings where the scouting report on Caitlin Clark wasn't just about her logo threes or her transition passing. It was about physicality.
"Even when I wasn't on her team, I know the talks that Phoenix had in the locker room, like, 'No, we're gonna show her what the W really is,'" Cunningham admitted.
Think about that for a second. This isn't just fans on X (formerly Twitter) speculating. This is a veteran player confirming that the targeting was a pre-meditated strategy. The goal? Rattle her. Test her chin. See if the "generational talent" could handle the bruising reality of a league that has always prided itself on being tougher than the NBA.
But there's a thin line between "playing hard" and "hunting." Cunningham, who knows that line better than anyone, believes the league crossed it. She’s seen the eye pokes, the blindsided shoves, and the hard fouls that often went uncalled or were downgraded by officials. By the middle of the 2025 season, Cunningham’s tune had shifted from "welcome to the league" to a blunt defense of her teammate.
Why the "Targeting" Narrative Isn't Just Drama
A lot of old-school fans and analysts, like Ric Bucher, have argued that Clark is getting the same treatment as any other great rookie. They point to Diana Taurasi or Sue Bird. But Cunningham rejects that comparison. Why? Because the scale of the attention is different.
The "Caitlin Clark Effect" isn't just about selling out arenas; it’s about a cultural shift that made some veterans feel like their own legacies were being erased. Cunningham called out the critics who refuse to acknowledge Clark as the face of the league, labeling that mindset as "dumb as f---."
It’s a complicated mess of ego, competitiveness, and survival. When a player comes in and triples the league's viewership overnight, the "old guard" often reacts with a defensive crouch. They want to prove that the "new girl" hasn't earned it yet. But when that proof involves dangerous plays—like the June 2025 incident where Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground—it stops being about basketball and starts being about resentment.
Cunningham actually stepped in to retaliate during that game against the Connecticut Sun. She took a hard foul on Jacy Sheldon shortly after Clark was targeted. She basically played the role of a hockey enforcer. Why? Because the referees weren't doing it.
"I think the league is very physical. And I think it needs to be that way... but this last season, I think that when it comes to maybe the physicality around the league, maybe it was a little too much." — Sophie Cunningham
The Toll of the Target: 2025 Injuries
You can't talk about the targeting without talking about the results. The 2025 season was supposed to be the year Clark took the Fever to the promised land. Instead, it was a year defined by the training room.
Clark's season ended prematurely in September 2025 due to a string of soft tissue injuries. She only managed to play 13 games. While injuries are a part of the game, the cumulative physical toll of being "hunted" every single night cannot be ignored. When you are being bumped, screened, and chased for 40 minutes by players whose primary objective is to "show you what the W is," your body eventually breaks.
Interestingly, while Clark was sidelined, Cunningham’s own star rose. She actually surpassed Clark in Google's 2025 trending athlete rankings in the U.S., landing at No. 7. It’s a wild irony—the woman who defended the star ended up becoming a massive star herself, partly because fans respected her "no-nonsense" attitude and her willingness to speak the truth about the league's internal politics.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that the "targeting" is just about jealousy. It's more nuanced.
- Offensive Philosophy: Teams play Clark physical because it’s the only way to stop her. If you give her space, she kills you. The targeting is partially a sound defensive strategy taken to an extreme.
- The Referee Gap: The WNBA officiating hasn't kept pace with the speed and physicality of the "new" league. Cunningham has been vocal about the need for consistency. If a vet does it, it's "toughness." If a rookie complains, she's "soft."
- The Business of the Game: Some players feel that the lopsided media coverage of Clark ignores the "badasses" (Cunningham's word) who have been grinding for a decade. The targeting is a physical manifestation of that frustration.
How the WNBA Moves Forward
The league is at a crossroads. You want the physicality—it’s part of the brand. But you can't have your biggest draws sitting on the bench with torn MCLs or groin injuries because the "hazing" went too far.
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If you’re a fan or even a casual observer of the Fever, here is the reality: the targeting isn't going to stop until the league changes how it's officiated. Sophie Cunningham has done her part by bringing the "locker room talk" into the light. She's made it impossible for the league to pretend this is just "business as usual."
Actionable Insights for the Future:
- Watch the Officiating: Keep an eye on the 2026 season's "point of emphasis" from the WNBA. There is massive pressure on the league to protect its stars from non-basketball plays.
- Follow the Podcast: If you want the unfiltered truth, Sophie Cunningham’s Show Me Something has become the de facto source for what’s actually happening behind the scenes in Indiana.
- Monitor the CBA: With the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, player safety and the "marketing" of specific stars versus the collective will be a huge sticking point.
The narrative has shifted. It’s no longer about whether Clark is being targeted—her own teammates have confirmed it. Now, it's about whether the WNBA is professional enough to grow past the petty shenanigans and let the best players actually play.